Keeper of the Lost Cities: LGBTQ Edition
by Wolf Jade999
Summary: In which Sophie realizes she's dating the wrong Vacker, Bangs Boy has a visitor, Wonderboy meets his match, and fire and water have chemistry. Takes place after Flashback! Images used for cover are not mine; credits to the rightful owners. Rated T just in case.
1. Part I

**This is for us LGBTQ+ supporting people who have come to accept that Shannon Messenger is not, in fact, about to include LGBTQ+ characters in our beloved Keeper of the Lost Cities series. Also written for Pride Month! 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Keeper of the Lost Cities. If I did, it would have LGBTQ+. Alas, this is why I am writing a fanfic.**

**In which Sophie realizes she's dating the wrong Vacker, Bangs Boy has a visitor, Wonderboy meets his match, and fire and water have chemistry. (Divided into four parts for each pair!)**

**If you can figure out which ships those are…*applauds***

**BEFORE YOU READ: Please feel that Sophie and Fitz's relationship in Flashback was very forced.**

_Part I: In Which Sophie Realizes She's Dating the Wrong Vacker_

_Roses are red, _

_Violets are blue,_

_His eyes are teal_

_But you have them too._


	2. PI: Chapter One

**A/N: Takes place after Flashback.**

_SOPHIE FOSTER_

My ears are ringing. That's all I can hear.

One word.

_Unmatchable._

I'm too stunned to do anything but stumble out, to look at Grady and Edaline, to see their concerned expressions as I blink at them.

It's because they don't know who my biological parents are. That's why. It's not because I could be, might be, les-

"I'm unmatchable," I blurt, successfully silencing my thoughts. Mom's mouth drops open and she steps forward, closing the distance between us in a hug. Dad blinks in astonishment and quickly joins us, wrapping us in his warm embrace.

My ears are still ringing, but I let myself sink into my parent's arms, let them tell me that it's okay, even though I know it's not okay.

Is it okay?

I still don't know if it's okay here in the Lost Cities. I'm too afraid of the answer to ask.

I know I need to tell Fitz. But I really, really don't want to.

I sit at the dining table quietly, eating Mom's groundbreaking mallowmelt as I watch my dad pace back and forth in front of me. I can tell he's upset, and I can guess why; this happened before. Jolie and Brant had been a bad match. And now, whatever relationship I get into someday will be a bad match, too.

If only he knew…

I push my plate away, unable to eat anymore without the possibility of vomiting.

"I think I should just go to bed," I announce. Dad stops pacing and smiles tiredly at me.

"Go ahead," he says. "I'll see you soon."

I stand up and head to my bedroom. Sandor and Bo follow me. I don't know where the rest of my bodyguards are, and to be honest, I don't care.

When I'm finished getting ready for bed, I climb into bed and grab Ella.

"What's wrong with me?" I ask her. She doesn't respond. Obviously. If she had, then I'd be concerned.

I had just lain down, burying my face in my pillow, when a crisp, accented voice transmits into my head.

_SOPHIE!_

**A/N: Sorry it's so short, I'm rushed, but I really wanted to post this for y'all!**


	3. PI: Chapter Two

**A/N: So...Fitz is THE hardest character for me to write properly. I feel like I change his personality a lot from the actual KotLC books. So, sorry if Fitz seems totally unlike himself.**

**Shoutout to Coral-Skye for the support!**

**Rain and Shadows: *falls off chair in surprised delight* Haha, thank you so much!  
A very obsessed fangirl: Lol, thanks! :)**

_SOPHIE FOSTER_

_AAAH!_ I startle, slamming my head painfully on the headboard of my bed. I wince, rubbing my head gingerly.

"Are you okay?" Sandor asks from his post.

"Yep! I'm fine! Just bonked my head, you know me…" I trail off awkwardly as Fitz transmits again.

_Sorry! That seemed painful…_ He sounds genuinely apologetic. I sigh.

_I'm fine, Fitz...but why did you scare me?_

_Sorry! It's just that it takes so much force to reach you in long distances._

_Oh, okay._ Awkward silence stretches between us, with me mostly thinking, over and over, _hecanhearyourthoughts hecanhearyourthoughts don'tthink_

_Calm down, Sophie,_ Fitz finally says. _I can hear you thinking that, too._

_Ugh...great,_ I think, not really directed at him._ Anyway...why are you here in the first place? I mean-it's great to hear from you-I'm just surprised._

_Can I not check on my...friend?_ Fitz asks, and a strange feeling spikes through my body. What had he been about to say? I have a guess, and it should make me feel happy. Instead, I feel oddly disappointed. My stomach plummets and I push those thoughts away.

_Um...no, it's fine, just...never mind. I don't know._ I wince at my terrible response.

_Sophie…_ Fitz hesitates. _Just...you haven't talked to me in awhile, and I'm worried. _

_It's only been a couple days...I've been busy._ I defend myself, but I realize he isn't trying to offend me. I soften my tone as much as I can in my head. _Sorry, I just...I'm kind of cranky today. It was a rough day._

_Oh...I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?_

_Maybe later…_ I can't tell-HE CAN HEAR MY THOUGHTS! _Um...yeah! I just kinda want to go to bed right now, okay? I swear I'll talk to you tomorrow._

_Okay, Sophie. Sleep well?_

I_'ll try,_ I think bitterly as he leaves.

How am I supposed to sleep with the word "_unmatchable"_ hanging over my head?

The next morning, I ask my parents if I can go to Everglen.

"You want to tell Fitz?" Mom asks immediately. I sigh. Nothing ever gets past a mother.

"Yeah...I think I should." I tug out an eyelash.

"Okay then…" Dad scowls. "Maybe I should come with yo-"

Mom puts a hand on his arm.

"Grady, no." She looks him in the eye. He may be the Mesmer, but she has Wife powers. "Sophie can handle this on her own."

Dad sighs in reluctant agreement. I thank them and turn to the Leapmaster.

"Sophie, wait!" I glance back at Mom's shout. "Just...remember, if it's true love, it shouldn't matter if it's a bad match or not," she tells me.

"Okay." I nod, blinking back tears. "I know." _If it's true love, should it matter what gender we are?_

She smiles proudly at me as I glitter away to Everglen.

**A/N: Yet another short, sorta lame chapter! I apologize. **

**Also, while I was writing this, I SAW A RAINBOW IN THE SKY! It was so beautiful, with such vibrant colours… Call me crazy, but it felt like a blessing or something silly like that. Sometimes, I still feel like being LGBTQ+ is...a curse because of my family...Okay, you didn't ask for my life story. Shutting up :P**


	4. PI: Chapter Three

**A/N: Ack, I really need to update more often! Another lame chapter, but it's kind of long! Surprise! XD**

**Rain and Shadows: Aww thank you so much! I'm really glad y'all like it!**

**A very obsessed fangirl: Haha, yes! That's really funny...Pride pug! Sorry it took so long, but here's your update!**

**stargirl020: Yep, I know you! Thank you so much; I really appreciate it. Hope this update doesn't disappoint!**

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: Yep, it's gay! XD No, not the kitten eyes! Fiiiine, here's more! Thank you XD**

_BIANA VACKER_

"I'm just going outside, okay? Sophie's coming over, and I want to meet her there," I hear my brother say.

I look up at the name. _Sophie. _

"I don't know, Fitz...I really don't want you to have problems…" Our mother glances at Fitz' chest.

"The echoes are _gone_, Mom-"

"Biana, how about you go?" Mom turns to me pleadingly. My heart stumbles. _You want me to meet Sophie at the door?_

"Sure," I blurt, trying not to seem as nervous as I felt. _Calm down, Bi. You're just saying hi to your best friend. Calm. Down!_

Still, I can't help but glance down at my outfit. A simple, long-sleeved tunic with light embroidery paired with dark pants. **(Help, I don't know fashion!)**

"Hello? Biana? Are you going or-"

"I am!" I shout, running to the door. Woltzer follows me painstakingly as I blink in and out of sight. Sophie stands beside the gate, her bodyguard team flanking her. My breath catches at the sight of her; she's wearing a plain white tunic with lacy sleeves and her hair is unbound. She looks…

I have no words to describe her.

Sophie doesn't seem to spot me until I'm right in front of her. I realize that I'm invisible and I blink back into sight. Sophie startles, stepping backwards and bringing her arms up to protect herself.

"Ah! Biana! You scared me," she mumbles, dropping her arms. Her eyes stay trained on the ground, like she doesn't want to look at me. My heart drops.

"Soph? You okay?" Without thinking, I reach out and cradle her head in my hand. A shock spreads through my hand as I tilt her chin up.

Her eyes are rimmed with red. _Sophie what's wrong Sophie are you okay Sophie I love you-_

I jerk my hand away. _Did I seriously just do that?_

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," I stammer, but Sophie just drops her head down again. I can feel my heartbeat, hear it, pulsing in my ears.

"Sophie, what's wrong?" I swallow, staring at the girl in front of me. "Sophie?"

"Let's go inside," she answers finally, and it is definitely not the answer I wanted. My heart drops and I nod, automatically reaching for her arm.

I'm about to jump away, but Sophie loops her arm around mine, sending pleasant sparks through me. Together we head towards my home, neither of us daring to speak a word.

Fitz's arms are crossed, and his face is set in a scowl, but the moment he sees me and Sophie, his expression clears and his arms drop to his sides.

"Biana! Sophie!" He hurries forwards like a worried mother, stopping in front of us and smiling shyly. "What took you so long?"

I shrug as indifferently as I can and jab a thumb towards Sophie, whose head was still lowered.

"Sophie?" My brother asks in concern. "What's the matter? Are you ready to...talk?"

Sophie lifts her head, again revealing her beautiful brown eyes, filled with tears. I hesitate, dying to comfort her, but knowing that in this world, that's Fitz's job.

After a moment, I back away, Vanishing out of sight. Woltzer grunts in annoyance and heads up the stairs, apparently assuming that I'm going to my room. Sophie's bodyguards spread out through the house. Maybe they understand her need for privacy.

Evidently, I don't, and I stand nearby, watching. It's rude, and cruel, but I can't help it. I can't help but be nearby when Sophie is so miserable.

"C'mon, Sophie." After a second too long, Fitz takes Sophie's hand and leads her to the living room. **(No idea what Everglen looks like, sorry for inaccuracy!)** "What happened?"

Sophie takes a deep breath and tugs out an eyelash. The motion is familiar, but only makes me more worried. I edge closer, silent as I can be.

"I went to the Matchmakers." Her voice is tight, like she's forcing the words out.

Slowly, the information sinks in and I feel my heartbeat accelerate. _Matchmakers. Sophie Foster, the girl who hates matchmaking, went to the Matchmakers. And she's not happy about it_.

"Oh." Fitz's voice sounds deeper than usual. He almost sounds...disappointed.

I shake the thought from my head. Why would he be disappointed? He'd been hoping that Sophie would go for so long.

"And?" Fitz finally says, after Sophie stays quiet.

"I'm unmatchable."

The words fade in her throat, but I understand. I stifle a gasp, my hands clutching the bottom of my tunic. _Unmatchable._

_Why?_

Fitz is pale, his eyes closed, but he opens them and takes Sophie's hands in his.

"Okay," he breathes, like she's delicate, and if he speaks too harshly, she will break.

"Okay?" Sophie dares to look up, and I can see her eyelashes fluttering. "It's okay?"

"Of course it's okay." Fitz clears his throat. Somehow, his motions seem stiff. Almost forced… "I would never let matchmaking get in the way of real love."

The words echo in my head.

Sophie looks up at him, and finally, finally, she smiles. It's a small, timid smile, but a smile nonetheless. And it's beautiful.

"Me too," she says, and it should be the perfect moment to kiss or hug or do something romantic. I turn away, not wanting to see it. Because it's an invasion of privacy. Not because I'm...jealous.

But instead, I hear Fitz speak again, in a voice so rough it seems broken.

"Are we real love, Sophie Foster?"

**(To my dear Sophitz readers...I am so very sorry. But this is not a Sophitz story, therefore, I am forced to do this.)**

"I don't know." Sophie turns away and puts her head in her hands. "I don't think so."

Silence stretches out between them, and it's silent in my head, too. I think over what just happened.

_"Are we real love, Sophie Foster?"_

_"I don't know. I don't think so."_

It comes to me, hard and fast like being shot through the heart.

_Sophie doesn't love Fitz._

Suddenly, Sophie shoots to her feet.

"I'm sorry, Fitz, I'm so sorry," she sobs, and then she's running, out of the house, away from us, her bodyguards scrambling after her. And I'm screaming, not at her, but in my head, screaming because I have no idea what just happened.

And Fitz is just sitting there, watching her go.

"I'm sorry too, Sophie," he mutters, thinking he's alone. But I hear him. And I scream in my head some more. "'Cause I don't think so either."

_Fitz doesn't love Sophie._

The screaming in my head abruptly fades, replaced with one clear thought.

_But I do._

**A/N: oof that was so dramatic! Okay, hopefully I'll have my next update up soon. I'm excited for it; it should include more LGBTQ+ diversity ;)**

**Also, I just saw that the Vanisher badge has a RAINBOW on it?! Guys, this is PROOF that Biana is LGBTQ+! Her symbol is literally a pride symbol! XD I'm overreacting...**


	5. PI: Chapter Four

**A/N: Finally updating! My school went on a field trip, but I was unable to participate so I sat down at a picnic table squashed between my friend's bags and wrote this for y'all! I had to handwrite it because all I had was a pencil and paper, and believe me, the writing is messy…**

**What do I do when I'm bored? Write gay fanfiction. XD **

**stargirl020: Eyy thank you! By the way, I'm not sure if you saw, but I dedicated the last chapter to you on Wattpad. Thanks for the support and for being a great friend!**

**A very obsessed fangirl: Yep, Biana loves Sophie! oof, here's your update, finally.**

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: Aw, thank you so much! :)**

**MagicDaydreamer: XD I don't think you need to be scared; stuffed animals are nice! Heheh. Thanks so much! Sophiana is definitely better than Sophitz. **

**LunaLovegood397: Thanksss! Love your username, by the way. Luna is awesome. :D**

_SOPHIE FOSTER_

"Sophie!" Sandor shouts, but I don't stop running. Running, away from Fitz, away from _Biana-_

I shake my head. _Don't think about her._ Don't think about her beautiful teal eyes, and how they were filled with concern for me as she held my head in her hand...and the warmth that spread through me at the contact-

_No._ I will not think about her. I can't. I'm supposed to love Fitz.

Do I? We...broke up. Before anything could really happen anyways.

Tears slipped out of my eyes. _What is wrong with me? Why do I have to be this way?_ I dash away the wetness on my face. I am Sophie Foster, the moonlark. I do not cry over boys. Or girls.

Being Sophie Foster, I trip over a rock and stumble to the ground. Sandor appears above me. He was probably always there, just behind me, not letting me escape his sight.

"Here, Miss Foster," he squeaks, his voice gentle. He doesn't seem angry as he holds out his large hand. I take it and allow him to help me to my feet.

"Sorry," I choke out. He just shakes his head.

"Where to?" Bo interrupts. I swallow, about to tell him we're going home. Back to my parents. And my bed. But in a fleeting moment, I change my mind.

"Slurps and Burps." Bo seems surprised, but I've decided. It's time to learn the truth once and for all.

Dex looks shocked but pleased to see me. **(And no wonder...Sophie and everyone else barely sees Dex anymore.)**

"Soph! Hi!" He runs over to where I stand amongst the shelves of Slurps and Burps, nearly slipping on the floor. His periwinkle eyes glitter with excitement.

I can't help but smile at my best friend. "Hey, Dex."

He immediately notices my sour mood and glances over my shoulder at my bodyguards.

"So...what's up?" he asks nervously.

"You guys go upstairs," Kesler suggests. He gives Sandor a pointed look. "You can stay down here. It's not like the Neverseen are hiding under Dex's bed."

Somehow, Kesler senses my need for privacy. I flash a smile at him in gratitude before following Dex to his room. Dex hastily tries to clean up, but I shake my head.

"It's okay." I force another smile. "I just want to talk."

"Okay…" Dex plops down on the floor, and I sit down beside him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, really." I sigh. "I just...have a few questions." Dex furrows his brow as I continue. "How...normal...is LGBTQ in the Lost Cities?"

"LGBTQ," Dex repeats carefully, like he's never dared to say it before.

"Yeah. Do you know what that means?" I hold my breath nervously, awaiting his answer.

"Ye-es," he agrees, slowly. "Why…?"

"You _do_ know what it means!" I try to contain my excitement. "Well, is it normal?"

"It's...possible," Dex replies, staring at his feet. "I wouldn't say it's _normal_."

"Oh." _It's okay, Sophie. Calm down_. "But...are there any, like, same-gender couples?"

"A few." Dex turns away. "Not too many. But there are some." I draw a deep breath, tugging out an eyelash.

"What about trans?"

"Seriously, Sophie?" Dex scoffs, and my stomach sinks. _Is Dex transphobic?_ "Gee, sometimes I forget how little you know! Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I just forgot you didn't know."

"Didn't know _what_?"

"My dad-Kesler-used to be a girl."

Oh. I think of Kesler, one of the best elves I know, and smile. He understands. He knows what it's like to be LGBTQ+. A thought strikes me and I frown.

"How, though? I thought elves don't do surgery."

Dex's eyebrows disappear into his hairline.

"Surgery? Yuck, no! We developed a few elixirs and stuff for changing genders. But it does require a physician, 'cause it's a pretty intense process."

"Who helped?" I ask timidly. "Who would do that?"

Dex laughs.

"Elwin, duh. They understand."

"What?"

Dex smacks his forehead.

"Right, I forgot. You don't know. Have you seriously never seen them on one of their non-binary days?"

"WHAT?"

Dex smirks in amusement.

"Elwin is genderfluid. Sometimes, he's a dude. Other times, they're non-binary." He shrugs. "You see them so much, and you didn't notice? Weird."

I barely hear him through my conflicted emotions. Elves I know and trust are LGBTQ+! Suddenly, I feel a rush of affection towards Kesler and Elwin.

"How...I mean, is it accepted?" My voice is quiet. Dex shifts nervously.

"Well, when my dad first came out, no one wanted to help him," he admits. "The Council used to be pretty against it. But it wasn't until Elwin that Dad was able to change."

"What made the Council be...not against it?"

"A trans elf tried to…" He draws in a shaky breath. "Kill herself."

I tug out an eyelash. My breathing is laboured.

"Oh," I say finally. "But...she's okay now?"

"Yep." Dex nods, almost to himself. "Now trans elves are allowed and...mostly accepted."

The question that has been burning my tongue finally leaps out.

"What about gay couples?"

He closes his eyes, his cheeks darkening.

"Why are you asking me this, Sophie?"

"I like Biana." The words slip out before I can control them. I slap a hand over my mouth, heart pounding, and stare at Dex. Waiting for his response.

He slowly opens his eyes, and to my amazement, a huge grin spreads across his face. Periwinkle irises twinkle with excitement.

"You do?" He laughs, almost giddy. "Well, _duh_! How did I not see it earlier? You two are perfect for each other!"

I gawk at him.

"You really think so?"

"Uh, yeah!" He hesitates, glancing sideways at me like he's scared. His tone is suddenly quiet as he asks, "What about Wonderboy?"

"We, er, we decided we weren't right for each other."

Dex's grin stretches wider than I thought was possible.

"Okay." He says the word with finality. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Huh? What?"

"Go get that girl!" Dex shouts, and before I can hush him, he pulls me to my feet and shoves me out the door.

**A/N: oof, I had so much fun writing this, even if it's pretty choppy and Sophie doesn't really seem like herself. Hope you enjoyed! Chapter Five should be up soon; I also wrote it at the field trip. Just have to type it out and edit! :)**


	6. PI: Chapter Five

**A/N: Wow, here we are with the last chapter of Part I! Hope it doesn't disappoint! It's pretty long.**

**Rain and Shadows: XD Here's your update! I wanted to have trans, non-binary, and/or gender-fluid character, because LGBTQ+ isn't just sexual orientations; it's gender, too. This was my way of including everyone...**

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: :D YES! XD I don't know how logical gender-fluid Elwin was, but I tried... I'll certainly try to have more gay couples that we already know of! :)**

**stargirl020: Thanks so much! :)**

**Guest: Thanks! I actually have found lots of post-Flashback fanfics, often about shipping. Not too many gay ones, though...**

**Stella(Guest): Hi! Thank you so much! That's wonderful-I am also still discovering who I am, and the people around me aren't too supportive. But I hope you can find helpful people where you live. That's very true; you are who you are, and be proud. Thank ****_you, _****and here's your update. :)**

_BIANA VACKER_

_I love Sophie Foster._

I don't know how long I've been standing, invisible, against the wall. Fitz still sits on the couch, not moving. It's like we're both stunned to nothingness by what had just occurred.

_I love Sophie Elizabeth Foster. And Fitz doesn't. He didn't steal her from me._

"I know you're there, Bi."

I jump, blinking into sight. Fitz's voice is strangely high, and he looks at me with a tired gaze.

"Oh!" My voice is even higher. "Hi…"

Fitz looks away, staring gloomily at the carpet.

"I know what you're thinking," he murmurs. I bite my lip. "I don't love Sophie, not like that. I wish I did. I wish I liked her. Or any girl."

I stare at him. Does he mean what I think he means?

"We should check on her." He glances at me. "Sophie, I mean. Can you?"

_I love Sophie Foster._

_"I_ love her," I blurt. My heart pounds. _Wait. Did I just tell Fitz my biggest secret?_

Fitz is quiet for a moment. Then he breaks into a small smile.

"Go to her, then," he says, standing. He walks over to me. "Tell her."

"WHAT?!" I shake my head vehemently. "No way! It's not like she'd ever like me back."

"Hmm…" Fitz's eyes sparkle. "Just tell her, okay?" He laughs a little. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner."

"Figure what out?"

"You! Sophie! You're meant for each other! Now come on!" He grabs my hand, pulling me to the door. (I know it's super similar to the last chapter. Just wait…)

Only to see Sophie and Dex standing by the gate, six bodyguards scattered around them.

Fitz pushes me closer. I stare at Sophie, adorable with her cheeks flushed a delicate pink. She seems nervous, tugging out her eyelashes and fussing with hair. Almost like she was trying to look...pretty.

She already is.

I glance back at Fitz,but he's not watching Sophie. His eyes are focused on the elf beside her. Dex.

"Talk to her, Bi," Fitz urges, and opens the door.

Sophie hesitates in the doorway to my bedroom. We've been quiet so far, like we both know that something big is happening and neither of us want to be the first to let it happen.

Apparently Sophie is braver than me, and opens her mouth.

"Biana, I…" She gulps. "I need to tell you something."

What is it about her? Just being near her sets my heart pounding and hands shaking. I lick my lips.

"Me too." Why must I be so awkward with her?

We look each other dead in the eye, and I can hear my heartbeat pulsing in my ears. Her eyes, those unique brown eyes…

"I love you."

We say it simultaneously, and immediately, we both know that we don't mean just as friends. I blink in and out of sight in shock.

_I love Sophie Elizabeth Foster._

_And she loves me too?_

Sophie is tomato red and her adorable mouth opens and closes like a fish.

"You love me? Like…" I can't finish the sentence, too scared to believe what's right in front of me.

"I love you the way I'm supposed to love Fitz." Sophie ducks her head down. "But I don't."

"_You_ love me. You, Sophie Elizabeth Foster, loves..._me."_

"What? Of course I do! You're...you're _Biana Vacker._ You're smart, talented, beautiful, and the most incredible girl I've ever known." Sophie meets my eyes again, and her face is still adorably pink. "The real question is-how could Biana Vacker love _me_?"

"I have an answer." My heart pounds in my throat, and my breath is short from my nervous energy. But I'm doing this. It's...it feels right. "Close your eyes."

Sophie swallows, but her eyes flutter shut. Trust is written across her face and I smile.

Slowly, carefully, I walk up to her, close enough to see her thick eyelashes and her rosebud mouth. She is so, so beautiful.

I meet those rosebud lips with mine.

Other than my mostly-cheek kiss with Keefe, I have never kissed a soul in my life. Knowing her, I guess Sophie Foster hasn't ever kissed anyone, either.

So, our kiss probably isn't perfect. But I still feel a rush of exultation. I still feel Sophie's gasp of shock, and maybe even excitement. I still feel her smile against my mouth.

When we break apart, we're both grinning and breathless. Sophie is flushed, but I'm willing to bet I am, too.

"So...did that answer your question?" I tease, but my voice is rough and shaky.

"Yes," Sophie gasps, and throws her arms around me in a blissful embrace. I breathe in her scent.

"What does this mean for us?" Sophie whispers. I pull back and meet her eyes.

"Wanna be my girlfriend?"

TWO DAYS LATER

"Of course it's okay." Edaline smiles at Sophie and I. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am," Sophie responds, glancing back at me with a radiant smile. My breath catches at the beauty of her smile.

"Well, better than That Boy," Grady admits rather gruffly. Sophie grins, and I hold back a laugh. "I guess I trust you to be good for my Sophie, eh?" He looks me in the eye. **(I have no idea if this is anything like actual Grady, sorry...)**

"I swear I'll never hurt your daughter," I promise, staring right back into his.

"Good." He pats my shoulder and leans back, morphing into the friendly dad instead of the gruff, overprotective one. "So...how are Alden and Della taking this?"

My face falls.

"Mom's fine." I look at my feet. "Dad's kind of angry."

Grady crosses his arms.

"Don't worry, Biana, I'll talk some sense into him." I can't help but beam at him.

We walk out of the house and into the pastures of Havenfield. Sophie's five bodyguards and Woltzer trail behind, trying to give us space. They all seem fine with Sophie and I.

Dex, Fitz, Linh, and Keefe sit under Calla's Panakes, all with big smiles when they see us holding hands.

"Heeey, lovebirds!" Keefe sing-songs. Ever since we came out to the impossible boy, he's been teasing us relentlessly. (The first thing he'd said to us was, "It's about time.") "How'd it go?"

"Are you kidding?" Sophie's grin is impossibly adorable. "Grady and Edaline are the best parents ever!"

"Well, at least_ I_ don't have to worry about that," Keefe remarks, jumping to his feet.

Sophie frowns, looping her arm casually through mine, sending pleasant sparks through me. "What do you mean?" she asks Keefe.

"We still haven't told one other person about Sophiana yet," Keefe says, smirking. I swallow at the name. _Sophiana_. I like that.

"Tam!" Linh exclaims, jumping to her feet as well. Excitement brightens her eyes, which have been dark with worry for the past few weeks.

"Bingo!" Keefe flashes her a thumbs-up. "I'm gonna go give Bangs Boy a visit. And when I do, I'm gonna tell him that I'm about to tell all of you."

Keefe smirks, but his ice-blue eyes look pained. "I'm just as gay as Sophiana here."

Before we can react, he points to the sky. "So who's with me on Operation Bangs Boy?"

**A/N: Part I is officially over! I hope you enjoyed the tale of Sophiana. (Can Grady and Edaline adopt me, too?) **

**Now, onto Part II!**


	7. Part II

_Part II: In Which Bangs Boy Has a Visitor_

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_I may not act like it,_

_But I don't really hate you._

**A/N: (well, that was bad.) Okay, just a note: Part II takes place a day or so before the end of last chapter, simply because I want to have the scene where Sophiana comes out to Keefe. Thanks!**


	8. PII: Chapter One

**A/N: PII is finally here! Believe it or not, I wrote the beginning of this at the field trip as well. What a productive field trip XD**

**New POVs! I feel like the two narrators of this part were neglected last part, so, our favourite salty boy is back! :D **

_**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: ACK THANK YOU**_

_**Rain and Shadows: Heheheheh YES! No need to be sorry! XD**_

_**PoptartsAndBooks: Oh, oof. We're in the same boat, then, except I'm not bi. Lol, guess we can suffer together! :/**_

_**MagicDaydreamer: YAY! Hahah, the Vacker children know the truth. o.O Sophiana and Kam are the best! And Grady and Edaline! Oof, here's your update...finally...**_

_**MidnightBunny: *wink wink* **_

**_A very obsessed fangirl: Thanks! Part II is finally here, sorry for the wait!_**

**WARNING: Cursing ahead!**

_TAM SONG_

_"Kill it,_ Song!" Alvar growls. "It's not _that hard_!"

I grit my teeth, staring at the imp in front of me. It's a weak little thing, and doesn't protest as it lies on the ground.

_Play dead_, I beg the imp, but I'm not like the moonlark. I can't transmit into its head.

"_SONG!_"

"I said, _DON'T CALL ME THAT_!" I snap before I can help myself. Alvar's face twists into a snarl, making his scarred features even more hideous.

"I don't give a damn what you want to be called, Song," he hisses. "I'm stuck here training a soft little child like _you_, after all I've done! All I've been through! All I've sacrificed!" He flickers in and out of sight. "And they-they send me here with _you_ as punishment! So _kill that thing_, or I'll kill YOU!"

"Shut up," I mutter, biting back a nastier response. _Soft little child_. How dare he. How _dare_ he claim that he has given up everything for his messed-up cause and pride. How _dare_ he act like betraying his family was an act of honour, not cruelty.

He knows nothing about sacrifice.

My anger boils, and I clench my fists. Shadowflux curls into my palms, and I struggle to maintain it. Sweat breaks out on my upper lip from the strain.

_You control your ability, Tam. It doesn't control you_. Linh's soft, familiar voice echoes in my head. She would know best.

At the thought of Linh, my resolve hardens. The same anger boils within me, anger at the Neverseen, at the disgusting cloak I bear, and what we've done to my sister and her friends. I lash out with the shadowflux, striking the imp. It goes limp, and it's like everything stops with it. I release the shadowflux.

_Did I actually kill it? Did I just kill it?_

Alvar picks up the unmoving imp with his thumb and forefinger and held it away from his face like a piece of trash.

"Huh," he grunts. "You actually killed it. Finally."

My heart drops like a stone and I crumple to the ground, the horrible, horrible black cloak pooling at my feet.

_I killed it. I killed an innocent imp._

Alvar is saying something, probably spitting upon my weakness. But I barely hear him.

_Think about Linh._

I do, but all I feel is pain as I imagine her face if she knew that I'd killed a helpless creature.

_She'd hate me. And she'd have every right to._

My mind pushes her away, not wanting to face the pain, like the coward I am. Instead, another face swims before my eyes, the only one who would understand, who wouldn't judge me, who I've been imagining going through all the training I am now.

_Keefe._

The guy I've tried to avoid thinking about for as long as I've known him.

_Keefe Sencen. The biggest idiot in all of the Lost Cities and beyond. And the only one who would understand._

I think Alvar has given up hope on me.

I don't notice that he leaves, but when I finally look up, he's gone. Then again, he's a Vanisher. He could still be hanging around, though I doubt it. He probably stormed off as soon as I fell to the ground, unable to face the fact that I killed something.

The fuzzy, grey imp is nothing more than a clump of fur and wings on the ground, and after a heartbeat and reach out and touch it with the tips of my fingers. Its fur is still warm, and I shudder.

_Maybe it's alive? Alvar's stupid. He could be wrong._

I shuffle closer to it and scoop it up, cupping my hands to accommodate the small creature. I don't feel anything; not its tiny chest moving up and down, not a pulse, no stinky breath. Nothing.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to the little imp. Maybe I should bury it. I touch my fingertip to its chest.

Definitely dead.

_Don't cry, you idiot. It's just a dead imp. Alvar might be stupid, but he's right. You're weak. And cowardly. _

Something taps my knee, and I jerk away, only to see another, smaller imp there. Its eyes are wide and sad. My heart stumbles.

It turns its furry head to look at the dead imp I'm holding, and I finally burst into tears. _Great. It has friends_.

"I'm sorry," I whisper again, blinking the tears out of my eyes. _What would Linh do?_ "I-I'll bury it. I will."

The living imp just looks at me with those eyes, like it is quietly condemning me for my crimes.

Still holding the dead imp, I climb to my feet. The Neverseen hideout I'm residing in is hidden in a remote forest, and I'm currently in one of the small clearings between trees. I set the dead imp down, and the living one scurries close to it. I swallow, finding the task difficult, and glance around.

Finally, I kneel beside a tree and dig into the dirt with my bare hands. I killed the imp with just me and my vicious, cruel, _evil_ powers. I should give it the honour of being buried by me and my hands alone.

Once I have a small hole, I return to the dead imp and its mourning friend. The living imp looks up at me and slowly backs away. I'm stunned by its intelligence.

Gently, I cradle the dead imp in my hands and place it carefully inside the hole. Its friend flies closer, watching as I push the dirt over the small grave.

When the imp is gone and buried, I stand up, brushing my hands on my pants.

"I'm sorry," I repeat for the third time, and look down at the living imp. Its eyes are no longer condemning.

_Be sorry_, it seems to say. I frown to myself. Or not.

I should go now. I should move on, forget the dead imp and its friend. I shouldn't be bothered by this.

But a little voice, a little nuisance in the back of my head asks the same questions.

_Did Keefe kill an imp, too?_

_Did he bury it?_

_Was he this broken?_

**A/N: whoooooooa, I just went super dark all of a sudden. Jeez, Jade. This was supposed to be a mostly light story. Apologies. Why do I always end up writing really sad stuff?**

**ANYWAYS, I swear it'll brighten up a bit, okay? And I am aware that elves are hyper-sensitive to violence and killing something would break their minds, but...well, Tammy's okay for now. Um, yeah, hope it wasn't as bad as I think!**


	9. PII: Chapter Two

**A/N: You guys are lucky! I'm updating quickly, because I feel bad about the last chapter. Lol. I said it would be brighter. Let's see how THAT turns out. :)**

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: Thanks lol :)**

**MagicDaydreamer: AHH THANK YOU! Yay! Poor imp. Oof, thanks, I feel like during Tam's training, he will wonder if Keefe did it, too. Here it is, Iggy!**

**Rain and Shadows: Hahah, quite awhile! Here's another one! Thanks :D**

**A very obsessed fangirl: That poor imp! Lol, I'm clearly an evil author. Again, all I can is " ;) ". Thanks, here's the update! **

_KEEFE SENCEN_

ONE DAY EARLIER (approximately)

"I'm bored!" I declare. Ro gives me an _are-you-serious_ look.

"Look, Funkyhair, if you're bored, I can always take out my flesh-eating-"

"NO THANKS!" I interrupt. "I'm not _actually_ bored. I just wanted to have an excuse to do something. You should _know_ these things by now, Rom-"

"It's RO." She glares at me threateningly. I raise my hands in surrender.

"Fine, fine, just...keep those flesh-eating whatevers away from me," I reply. Ro grunts and turns away from me.

We are currently sitting around in my dad's embellished outhouse, also known as the Waves of Wimpiness. I'd never admit it to Ro, but I actually really liked that nickname.

And to be honest, I really _am_ bored.

But my boredom vanishes instantly when a huge wave of nervous-ness hits me. I only know one person with emotions as strong as that. I stand up and open the door.

"Hey, Foster. Couldn't get enough of me?"

Sophie's fist is raised, like she was about to knock on the door, and her mouth drops open in surprise.

"Um, hi, Keefe...d'you think you can come to Havenfield?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Like, right now?"

"Right now," Foster confirms, looking at her feet. A wave of agitation washes over me. _Why is she so nervous?_

Approximately ten seconds later, I'm standing under the Panakes tree, waiting for Foster to explain. Her emotions are so wild I let her pace in front of me.

Finally, she turns to me.

"Fitz and I...we're not together."

_DUH!_

"Phew," I say, miming wiping sweat off my forehead. "I thought you were gonna say Umber turned out to be a vegetable or something."

Foster hits me with some very confused emotions at my terrible joke, but Umber makes me think of _him_, so I ramble on before I can dwell on Bangs-

"I mean, it was literally so obvious that you guys were trying too hard. Seriously."

"Really?" Foster tugs out another eyelash. "How did you know?"

I point to myself.

"Empath, remember?"

Foster laughs quietly. "Right. So...can you guess what I'm gonna say next?"

I pause. Her emotions are pretty jumbled now; a mix of worry and anticipation. But I have no idea what she's going to say next.

"Uh...Grady's gonna kill Fitz?"

"No, Keefe." Foster looks me in the eye, and I know she's being serious. "Keefe...do you know the term LGBTQ?"

_Oh._

"Yes, I do," I answer quietly.

"And...what do you think of it?"

"I think...we are who we are, and it doesn't matter what gender we are." I meet her eyes, my heart pounding. _Does she know? _

But this isn't about me. It's about her.

_Oh._

"I'm dating Biana." Sophie says the words the moment I guess them. I can't stop the smile spreading across my face.

_Are we finally admitting that we're all gay for each other?_

"It's about time!" I whoop. Foster's shock and excitement fuels my cheerful mood even more. "Where's the other lovebird, huh?"

"Boo!" Biana shouts, blinking into sight behind Sophie. My breath catches with surprise.

"I should have known…" I roll my eyes. But I can't help but grin when Biana steps forwards and takes Foster's hand. Sophie turns her head slightly to look at her, and they both smile a precious little smile at each other. Their happiness-and sappiness-hits me like a bomb.

"Okaaay, I get it, you guys are cuter than Mr. Snuggles. Don't have to show off now, do we?"

Sophie and Biana send me twin glares and I smirk.

_Sophie and Biana._ I combine their names in my head. _Sophiana_. Hmm. Cute. I shake my head. Finally. We are _finally_ beginning some kind of gay revolution.

Okay, maybe I have high hopes, but seriously. I feel weirdly optimistic. It must be Sophiana's giddy romance influencing me.

"So...who else knows?" I raise an eyebrow. "Hold on, lemme guess. Dexy and the Fitzer know."

"Yep," Biana confirms.

"Linh?"

"Yes," Sophie answers.

"Grady and Edaline?"

"Tomorrow." Foster smiles when she says it.

"Alden and Della?"

"Soon," Biana replies, but unlike Foster, she looks nervous. Foster kisses her cheek.

"Whoa there, Biana. You may not the the Mysterious Miss F, but I could feel that mood swing," I tease. Biana sticks out her tongue at me, but her cheeks are pink.

"Anyways, we're gonna come out to Linh now. Thanks for...well, accepting us, Keefe," Sophie says softly, turning to me with a small smile. I dip my chin.

"Of course. I...I mean, yeah, duh." I force a grin. _Don't tell them. Not yet._ "You two are too cute to not accept!"

This time, they both stick out their tongues at me.

ONE DAY LATER (approx.) **(this is the same scene at the end of PI, but from Keefe's POV. Sorry the timing is so messed up.) **

Sophiana emerges from the house, smiling and holding hands. The bodyguards spread out behind them. I can feel Foster's ecstatic excitement from here, but I have a plan, so I may as well ask.

"Heeey, lovebirds!" I call. "How'd it go?"

Sophie had just come out to her parents, and the rest of us were waiting at the Panakes.

"Are you kidding?" Sophie grins. "Grady and Edaline are the best parents ever!"

My heart pounds. That worked out well. Time to begin Operation Gay Revolution.

"Well, at least _I_ don't have to worry about that," I say, standing. I can feel the curious emotions of my friends. Foster furrows her eyebrows, looping her arm through Biana's, and asks me what I mean.

"We still haven't told one other person about Sophiana yet," I reply, trying to contain my excitement. I smirk.

"Tam!" I knew Linh would get it immediately. I can feel her excitement, and I can't help but feel pleased. Linh has been so worried about her brother, a feeling I can relate to.

"Bingo!" I give her a thumbs-up. "I'm gonna go give Bangs Boy a visit. And when I do, I'm gonna tell him that I'm about to tell all of you."

_Am I seriously doing this?_

_Hell yes._

I paint on a smirk, as if it could make the news smoother. "I'm just as gay as Sophiana here."

I don't wait for their response. "So who's with me on Operation Bangs Boy?"

Linh jumps to her feet and runs at me, almost knocking me off my feet with her tackle-hug.

"ME!" she exclaims, releasing me. "And I'm so happy you're gay!"

"Er...thanks?" Of all reactions, that's not what I expected. Then again, what did I expect? I pat her back. "I'm glad I'm gay, too…"

"Oh, Keefe…" Foster approaches me, Biana beside her. She smiles. "I'm in."

"Me too," Biana adds, without taking her eyes off her girlfriend.

"Dude, I totally knew it!" Fitz laughs. "Count me in, too."

Dex practically squeals.

"What _else_ are you doing when you visit Tam?" he asks once he recovers, raising an eyebrow suggestively. I smirk at him.

"You take good care of Tammy, okay?" Linh orders, meeting my eyes. I never knew sweet little Linh could look quite so threatening.

"I will," I squeak. "But you're acting like we're...er...a 'we'! We're not!"

Sophie facepalms.

"Keep telling yourself that, Keefe," Biana jokes. At least, I think it's a joke.

"ANYWAYS, all I need is one Glitter Butt, and whatever you guys want me to bring him," I begin, and so began our planning.

**A/N: ...that was bad. But hey, it wasn't as dark! XD Okay, now it feels like it was TOO cheerful. *sighs* I shall never be satisfied...**


	10. PII: Chapter Three

**A/N: Sorry for the late update, everyone! I've been so tired and sad recently. Maybe a bit of gay KotLC will cheer me up. ;p**

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: Thanks! Operation Gay Revolution forever!**

**Rain and Shadows: Yep, sounds about right. XD**

**lilypaws: Thank you! I'll definitely continue to write. 3**

**Stella: Lol, yeah, that was fun to write. Thanks! :)**

**Poptarts and Books: Here's your update! Finally! :D**

**WARNING: Cursing ahead!**

_TAM SONG_

It's nightfall.

No, no. Not the Neverseen Nightfall. Or the book.** (Goodbye, fourth wall.)** Like, actual nightfall. When night has fallen over us like a blanket, coating the world in black skies and twinkling stars.

I shake my head. I must be tired. I'm confusing even myself.

Seated on the soil, trees and sky spread out above me, I stare at the grave I'd filled hours earlier. Alvar hasn't called me out yet, so I'm still here. I don't know where the damned Vacker is, and I don't care.

A soft thump sounds somewhere far away. I jump to my feet, fists curling, shadows ready to strike.

_Tense much?_

I slowly fall back to the ground, the disgusting cloak brushing the ground. The eye of the Neverseen flashes in the dark. I hate it. I hate this.

My head flares with fiery pain, and I wince. I've been having a raging headache for the past few hours. It's probably my sanity wearing away.

Time passes slowly. How long have I been here? I don't know. I'm just distracting myself, thinking of ice-blue eyes and messy blonde hair and the smell of hair gel and the sea.

I hear footsteps, quiet and soft, and part of me wonders if I'm just imagining them. Maybe it's Alvar. I don't care. I just stare at the grave, my head roaring with emptiness.

Suddenly, it's like someone stabbed me with at least ten different knives into my head. A small gasp escapes my throat and I crumple, my head between my knees. A wave of dizziness overwhelms me. My vision goes black, and I can only listen.

_Thumpthumpthump_. The footsteps are louder now, and faster. _Huhhuhhuh._ Somebody is breathing loudly.

Warm arms wrap around my torso, and I breathe in the scent of hair gel...and the sea.

"Tam. Tam! Holy shit. Tam, wake up, please, please wake up…"

My head rests in their lap. Something cold touches my lips, and I sputter as Youth is poured down my throat.

"Shh. Bangs Boy. It's okay." The bottle of Youth is gone and a cloth wipes my mouth. "Jeez, dude."

My vision slowly clears, and I blink. The shadows of night are stretched all around me, but I can make out the elf holding me.

"_Keefe_?" I stare at him in disbelief, a blush warming my face as I realize I'm lying in his arms like a damself in distress. "What the hell are you _doing_ here?"

"I'm happy to see you too, Bangs Boy," Keefe mutters, and the blush darkens my face. At least he couldn't see it.

"W-what happened?" I squint at him. "Why am I in your arms?"

"Ah." Keefe smirks, a familiar gesture that makes my heart tumble. "You don't mind, do you?" I simply glare at him in response.

"But seriously…" Keefe's hand hovers near my face, but jerks away like he's second-guessing himself. "I think you were about to break…"

"What?" My voice is hoarse. "Like a broken mind?"

Keefe doesn't reply. He just glances around. I watch his eyes settle on something behind me. The grave.

"I…" I start, but Keefe shakes his head.

"I know," he whispers, and points to the other side of the clearing. "There's one there too."

My mouth drops open._ He did exactly the same thing_.

Keefe slowly stands up, helping me to my feet.

"Dammit," I grumble. "I'm so weak."

Keefe touches my shoulder and I face him, eye to eye. Ice-blue bores into me, dead serious.

"I know," he murmurs. "I know they keep telling you that you are weak because you can't kill something, I know you think you're weak because you need help. But Tam-don't listen to them. You are strong. You can't handle killing because you are compassionate, and kind, and, well, _sane_. The fact that you are willing to accept my help...you are _strong_. Okay?"

I swallow. "Okay."

A soft smile curves across Keefe's lips; not a smirk, a real smile.

"Good."

"So...Keefe..." I start. A soft _thump_ reaches my ears and I flinch.

"Calm down, Bangs Boy." Keefe smirks, jabbing a thumb at a white shape in the distance. "It's just Glitter Butt. She'll tell us if anyone's coming."

I glance at Silveny. Now I know how Keefe got here. I turn back to him.

"How's Linh?" I blurt. "...and the others."

Keefe laughed.

"She's okay. Worried about you." He meets my eyes. "As for the others...they're great. Really great. In fact, two of them are dating."

"Wait, what?" I step back in surprise. "Who?"

"Aaand, here's there reason I came." Keefe steps closer. Another step. A bit too close for comfort. I clear my throat, waiting for his response.

"Sophie and Biana."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really? Took them long enough."

Keefe laughs again.

"My thoughts exactly," he says. "Anyways, I figured that we were finally figuring out that we're all gay for each other."

My heart pounds. He can't possibly mean…

"Why are you here, Keefe?" I ask quietly. He steps yet even closer. I back away, only to find my back to a tree. Blasted forest.

Ice-blue meets silver-blue, and Keefe smiles.

**A/N: HAHAHAH YEP, ending it there! Sorry. Excuse my evil author tendanices. I swear I'll update soon, if only to save you from eternal torture. Anyways, I hope it wasn't as bad as I thought and you enjoyed!**


	11. PII: Chapter Four

**A/N: Sorry about that evil cliffhanger, I guess I better update. XD Warning: lots of Kam! 3 **

**Rain and Shadows: Lol, thanks! I'm glad. **

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: Thanks so much!**

**lilypaws: yes it will! 3 3 3**

**A very obsessed fangirl: :) Thanks...**

**MagicDaydreamer: Umber the vegetable! :) Heheh, here's more! (I guess...)**

**This starts RIGHT after the previous chapter, so reread the ending if you don't know what's going on! :)**

_KEEFE SENCEN_

"I'm here to tell you that…" I clear my throat. _Come on, Keefe. Tell him. Just spit it out!_ Tam watches me carefully, his eyes narrowed. But a tiny spark of excitement and curiosity shines in his silver-blue irises, and it's enough to keep me going.

"I like guys," I finish lamely. Tam's eyebrows disappear into his bangs.

"Huh. What a coincidence. So do I," he deadpans. Excitement blossoms through me. _He's gay._ A laugh bubbles up in my chest. This-this _fool_ is so cute I can't even...I don't even know anymore.

"Oh. That's, um, enlightening." _Damn_, I sound stupid. "Any..._certain_ guys?" _Real smooth, Keefe_.

Tam's gaze drops to his feet. My heart pounds and I take a step closer to him. He's trapped against a tree, I notice.

Suddenly, his eyes meet mine, and I'm paralyzed. A smile curls up his lips and brightens his face.

"There's this guy," he mutters, his voice low. "His name is Keefe. Do you know him?"

My heart pounds in my throat, my face warming. _Tam likes me. Tam likes...me?_

"Yeah, I do." My voice is raspy.

"Do you think you could set up a time for us to meet?"

"Why not right now?" _Did I actually just say that-?_

Tam opened his mouth and I expect a witty retort, but nothing comes out. Heat spreads over my face as he stares at me.

"Keefe Sencen, I can't believe I'm saying this, but…" Tam swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing as he glances at the ground. He looks up. "I love you."

_I love you._

"Huh. What a coincidence. So do I," I reply, mocking him. But my voice is rough, and my hands tremble slightly as I step yet even closer, until I can hear is unsteady breaths.

Tam laughs, his lips curving in a soft smile. His eyes meet mine again, and my heart skips a beat when I see a hint of mischief in them.

To my shock, Tam grabs my face, gently but firmly, and presses his lips to mine.

Giddy elation fills me, and I know part of it is Tam's own excitement. I rest my hands against the tree, on either side of his head. We stay there for a moment, but it feels like forever. Finally, we break apart, gasping, but still close enough for our foreheads to meet.

I can't stop grinning.

"Er-" Tam's face is so red, it's practically glowing in the dark. "I…"

"Love me? Thanks." My heart pounds, and I pull away. "I love me too."

Tam laughs again, a precious sound that fills me with joy. I love his laugh. It means I'm doing my job.

"Keefe…" His voice is quiet. "Thank you for coming."

I smirk. "Had to get that kiss."

He shook his head, tugging his bangs awkwardly. It's adorable.

"Is that all that you came for?" he teases.

"Oh! That reminds me." I blush, reaching into a satchel by my side. "Linh wanted me to give you this."

A letter. Tam takes it, handling it gently like a gift from heaven, which I suppose it is to him. To Tam, Linh is an angel.

"Thanks, Keefe," he says, pecking my cheek. Heat pools in my core in surprise.

"So, er, what does this mean for us, then?" Tam studies the ground as he speaks.

"I mean, Sophie and Biana beat us, so now we have to beat the rest of them." I take his hand, and with the other lift his chin so that our eyes meet. "Tam Song, will you be my boyfriend?"

"Hell yes," Tam answers, and pulls me into another kiss.

"Keefe. Keefe. Wake up."

I open my eyes blearily to find a boy with silver-blue eyes and fabulous hair staring down at me, the pink and orange light of dawn illuminating his features. He looks...beautiful.

"Awake," I mumble sleepily. We talked for a long time last night before finally curling up together, Glitter Butt's wing draped over us.

"You need to go before Alvar sees you," Tam whispers. I nod, glancing at Silveny. Her warm, intelligent eyes, brown like Sophie, meet mine. I can practically hear her thinking, _KEEFE! GO!_

"Alright, Bangs Boy." I climb to my feet. Glitter Butt does the same. "Guess it's time to go. But I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay." Tam's face gives nothing away, but I can feel his disappointment when I touch his hand.

"I love you," I murmur, and kiss him goodbye.

"You too, idiot," he replies when we break apart.

I climb onto Silveny, patting her back.

"Let's go, Glitter Butt," I say, and glance back at the silver-eyed elf standing beneath us. He smiles.

"See you soon, Keefe."

Silveny rises into the air, and we wave at each other until we're nothing but a black dot in the sky, and he's all but a shadow in the forest.

**A/N: Aw 3 that was fun to write! Kam is the best. One more chapter of Part II! I hope it was okay!**


	12. PII: Chapter Five

**A/N: Sorry for the slow update. Here's the last part of Part II!**

**MeeIsFarrow101: thanks so much! PII ****_is_**** ending, but we still have Part III and IV coming up! :)**

**Rain and Shadows: eek thank you so much! **

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: lol, have I rendered you speechless?**

**A very obsessed fangirl: Thanks! Sorry for the late update!**

**Stella: Thanks so much! Well, now you are part of the Kam fanclub! heheh. **

**lilypaws: so sorry for the slow update! I certainly haven't forgotten about you guys. I just had "writer's block" (aka writer's laziness). Here is is, finally!**

_TAM SONG_

I miss him already.

I stare into the sky, to where Keefe and the alicorn had been moments ago. I sigh_. I have to go._

I trudge back to the cabin that Alvar and I are stuck in. Alvar's snores can be heard from quite a distance away. I can't help but skip a little as I walk.

_I'm Keefe's boyfriend! Keefe Sencen! And he's mine!_

I could barely believe it, reliving our kisses over and over in my head. _He's mine._ Yet he was so far…

What I would give to be on the back of that alicorn, arms around Keefe's waist and cringing as the wind blew back my bangs. Flying to my freedom...to Keefe, to Linh, and all of our friends.

But…

I glare down at my wrist, where the Neverseen latched their damn bracelet tracker to mark my location. Their mysterious Technopath had made it and gave it to Alvar. Alvar seemed rather sadistically gleeful about that, since it was similar to the device Dex had created to keep Alvar before.

I sigh and enter the cabin, glancing at the closed door leading to Alvar's room. More snores. Honestly, if it weren't for that damn tracker, I could walk right out and Alvar would have no idea. But it electrocuted me if I left the forest.

There would be no escaping. Not yet. But at least I could still see Keefe.

Keefe. My boyfriend.

Mine.

I duck, throwing a punch at Alvar's sternum, but Alvar easily evades me and shoves my shoulder. I stumble, falling to the ground. Alvar rolls his eyes and sighs.

"Get back up, Song," he growls. "I'll gladly whip your ass until you get the hang of this."

"Shut up," I mutter under my breath, rising to my feet with difficulty. I'd thought that sparring with Alvar would be easy. Defeat Mr. Spoiled Rich Boy? Piece of mallowmelt. But Alvar was proving me wrong. I shake out my arms. And it's not fair that he gets to wear armour and I don't.

Alvar releases a feral snarl that really doesn't compliment him and lunges at me. I dodge, aiming a roundhouse kick at his stomach. It hits, but Alvar is protected with a stiff makeshift breastplate and the impact does nothing.

He knocks me back to the ground. I ignore his taunts, his poisonous words, and steel myself. _Ice eyes, mischievous smirk, bright laugh._ I'm okay.

_I'm okay._ Just think about Keefe and Linh. _I'm okay._

"Get up!"

I stand, and without warning, dash at Alvar and slam my fists into his nose. Alvar howls with pain and falls to the ground.

Even far away, Keefe calms me down. Just the mere thought of him. I smile to myself, glancing up at the sky where he had departed.

_Don't worry, Keefe. I'll be okay._

I hold out a hand to Alvar.

"Get up."

**A/N: that was so short and cheesy. Oh my word; I'm sorry that was so horrible. Anyways, that's the end of PII! Thanks for sticking with me, and here we come with PIII! :)**


	13. Part III

_Part III: In Which Wonderboy Meets his Match_

_Roses are red,_

_Your eyes are blue._

_You did call me Deck,_

_But dude, I love you._

**A/N: oof, I failed. Poetry is hard. Anyways, who's ready to ship it like FedEx?**


	14. PIII: Chapter One

**A/N: woohoo, PIII! Sorry for the long wait. Here we are with the most smol character ever...hope I do him justice! **

**(FYI...I can't remember much about Foxfire. Like, are they even going to school still? XD)**

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: THANKS!**

**lilypaws: THANKS! SHIP IT LIKE FEDEX!**

**Rain and Shadows: ahahaha that poem is beautiful! **

**Stella: wait, you didn't read Flashback beforehand?! AAHH SORRY! erm...I guess I prefer Sokeefe, though I like Sophitz as well. love Sophiana though ;) and we definitely need all the FedEx! "ship it like FedEx" is amazing.**

**MidnightBunny: Yay!**

**A very obsessed fangirl: thanks! XD XD**

_DEX DIZZNEE_

The clock's hands move epically slow.

_Tick, tick, tick…_

Maybe I should recreate all the clocks in Foxfire so that the hands are faster than a minute. I contemplate jumping out of my seat and taking apart the clock just to see if I can make time shorter.

But somehow, I doubt my History mentor would like that.

I've tuned out whatever lecture they were giving me a long time ago. I was waiting for one thing and one thing only.

_After school._

After school, when we would all meet up at Havenfield, where Keefe would be waiting. He'd skipped school, per his usual custom, to visit Tam.

I groan quietly, banging my head on the desk. My History mentor frowns at me but continues the lecture.

Two minutes later, school is _finally_ over for the day and I sprint out of the classroom, stumbling through the busy halls, keeping my eyes open for Sophie.

"Hold up, Dexter!"

A small but strong hand clamps around my wrist. I squeal in surprise and spin around to face my captor.

"Oh!" I laugh. "Hey, Marella."

Marella's ice-blue eyes are narrowed, her eyebrows drawn together and her lips pursed. I smile nervously. _Is she okay?_

"Something's happening here," Marella declares. I glance at her. _What?_

"Marella, are you okay?"

"No!" She shakes her head vehemently, braids flying around her face. "Something's up, and I don't know about it! And it's something to do with _them_."

She points one delicate finger behind me. I twist my neck to see Sophie and Biana, holding hands and laughing at some joke. Biana boops Sophie's nose and grins.

Ah. So the Gossip Queen wants to know what's up. I gulp.

"_Er_, maybe you should ask _them_," I reply, scratching the back of my neck with my free hand. Marella frowns.

"Sure, but you're coming with me," she answers passionately, marching through the bustling hallway with me in tow. I yelp, dodging passing prodigies that send me strange looks.

Biana notices us coming and waves happily-until she notices Marella's facial expression.

"Uh, hi, Marella! What's going on?" She smiles awkwardly.

"That's what _I_ want to know," Marella replies smoothly. "What is going on between _you _and_ you_?" She jabs a finger at Biana and Sophie in turn.

Biana and Sophie glance at each other, faces reddening.

"I'll have you know that I had no part in this," I quickly add. "Just along for the ride!"

"How about you come to Havenfield with us, Marella?" Sophie suggests. Biana's eyes widen and she gives Sophie a _wait-what?_ look.

Marella nods. "Can't say no to that."

"Hey, guys!" a deep, accented voice calls. Blood rushes to my face and I shake my head. _Stop blushing! You're worse than Sophie!_

"Hi, Fitzroy," Biana answers. "Ready to go?"

"Isn't Linh coming?" Marella asks immediately. She drops her head, suddenly embarrassed.

"I'm here." Linh taps Marella's shoulder, startling the pixie-like girl. "Oopsies! I didn't mean to scare you."

Biana glances between Linh and Marella and smirks. "Let's go, guys."

**[ guys! I feel so bad! why is this so terrible, though? the writer's block is real. ]**

The moment we glitter into the fields of Havenfield, Biana turns to Marella.

"Yes, Sophie and I are dating."

Marella squeals and tackles Biana into a hug, grinning.

"FINALLY! What took you so long? I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" Marella reaches out and pulls Sophie into the hug. "YOU TOO!"

I laugh at Marella's excited reaction, and behind me, I hear Fitz laugh as well. Stupid Fitz. Why did his laugh have to be so cute?

"HEYO! MISSED ME?"

Our heads whip around to face Keefe I-rode-an-alicorn-to-visit-my-crush-and-charm-him Sencen. He's riding towards us on Silveny, smirking-no, smiling. A huge, bright smile that lit up his face and shone in his eyes.

Silveny lands on the soft green field and whinnies at Sophie. Behind me, I hear Fitz whispering an explanation to Marella about Keefe's escapade. He's so sweet. _Knock it off, Dizznee_.

"Silveny! Keefe!" Sophie waves frantically as she breaks out of her group hug. "Hi!"

Linh runs faster than I've ever seen her run. She zips across the field and grabs Keefe's jacket, pulling him off the alicorn with surprising strength.

"How is he? Is he okay? What are the Neverseen doing to him? Was he okay? Keefe, please tell me he was okay!"

"Lemmetalk," Keefe manages between Linh's bombardment. Linh relents, releasing him and stepping back. Her agitation shows; the moisture in the air is starting to gather in a droplet.

"Bangs Boy is doing fine," Keefe says, grinning as we walk towards him. "He's...adjusting. The Neverseen aren't doing anything. Like, he didn't have any physical wounds. Sleep deprivation? Check. Emotional struggles? Hell yeah. But he's handling it. Way better than I did."

Linh breathes out a sigh of relief and wraps Keefe into a hug. He pats her back awkwardly.

I smile a little at the faraway look in Keefe's ice-blue eyes. He misses Tam already.

"Did you kiss him?" Linh demands as she pulls away. Keefe's eyebrows shoot up, but he zips his lips.

"C'mon, tell us!" I beg. Fitz sends me a sideways glance that clearly means he thinks I'm nuts. I blush again. _Stop being cute, Fitz. _

"Now _that's_ something," Marella remarks mischievously, and to my horror, I realize I'd said my last thought out loud. I look to Fitz, who is staring red-faced at the ground...smiling?

No. Not smiling._ Beaming. _But _why?_

**[ aw, poor oblivious Dexy. isn't it somewhat infuriating? ]**

"Aww, that's cute, but KEEFE. Did. You. Kiss. Tam," Linh growls. Whoa. Sister instincts sure did turn Linh into a beast.

"Yes," Keefe squeaks. Sophie, Biana, Linh, Marella, and I squeal excitedly.

"I KNEW he liked you!" Linh cries, literally jumping up and down. Biana pulls Sophie in a hug.

"Technically, _Tam _kissed_ me_, which was…" Keefe fiddles with his jerkin, a wide smile pulling at his mouth. I smirk. He's head over heels.

"I totally knew it, dude," Fitz laughs, nudging Keefe's shoulder. "What took you so long?"

"Says you," Keefe replies, winking. Fitz's face reddens, and I bite my lip. _Dude. I told you to stop being cute_.

"So Keefe," Linh begins nervously. We all glance at her. "Are you planning on...coming out to your dad?"

Keefe shifts his feet, his eyes downcast. He inhales shakily.

"Nah." He shakes his head, meeting Linh's encouraging gaze. "Nah, I'm not gonna. I don't care if he finds out, anyways." He laughs bitterly. "In fact, he'll be doing me a favour if he kicks me out."

Biana flinches, and Sophie takes her hand, pressing a kiss to her temple. I'm not sure what happened with Biana and her dad, but I think Alden hasn't been talking to her since she'd come out. I swallow, fidgeting with my hands. At least I know my parents won't mind if I ever decide to come out.

"ANYWAYS!" Keefe plops down onto the grass. "I'm sure we'll soon see who's next for the gay revolution...!"

We all laugh awkwardly. I stare at my hands, twisting my fingers together.

_Is it time to accept myself?_

**A/N: sksksks that ending was horrible. Sorry that was so bad! I'll try to update soon. ;)**


	15. PIII: Chapter Two

**A/N: Heyo... So so sorry for the slow update. It took me so long to write and I still hate it. (And I have school now, so updates are going to take even longer T-T) **

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: thanks!**

**Rain and Shadows: thank you for helping me update! XD Thanks so much! I definitely will. :)**

**stargirl020: aw, thanks Ellie! Finally updating ;)**

**Stella: gay revolution forever! thank you so much. I try. Here's an update - finally :/**

**Catattack: thank you! I'm so glad. :D**

_FITZ VACKER_

I kick open the door and trudge into Everglen, glaring at the empty house. I just came home from Havenfield, and already I want to go back.

It was just so _lonely_ in the big house. I know it seems stupid; we're one of the luckiest, richest, most popular families in Eternalia! But… I still feel stupidly lonely. And recent events sure aren't helping with that.

Biana still isn't talking to Dad-or maybe it's Dad not talking to Biana, I can't tell. Biana stays invisible most of the time, so much that I can't tell if she's in the house or not. She sneaks around, out of sight, to grab food from the kitchens or lock herself in her room. She's like a ghost; I know she's there, but I just don't know where and I haven't seen her.

Then again, she might not even be home. Biana's been spending a lot of time sneaking off with Sophie lately.

Of course, I can't blame her. I wasn't there when she came out to our parents, but apparently Dad stood up, yelled at her, and stormed out of the room.

Not a very mature response, but he'd screamed so loudly I could hear from my bedroom.

"WHAT IS _WRONG_ WITH YOU?" he'd shouted. "First Alvar betrays us, then Fitz damn near kills him, and now-now _you?_"

My fists curl at the thought of Alvar… and of my dad's homophobia. So being gay was apparently worse than killing my own brother? Really?

I breathe slowly, trudging upstairs to my room. As I open the door to my bedroom, a light hand taps on my shoulder.

I shriek in surprise, whirling around to face-

"Hey!" Biana hisses, covering my mouth with her hand. "Shh!"

My face reddens in embarrassment as I realize the volume and high pitch of my scream. Biana sighs, flickering in and out of sight, and pulls me into my room.

"Look, Fitzy," she begins, pacing across my room in a hurried manner. I sit on my bed, frowning as I watch her pace.

"You seem to think you can keep secrets from your sister," Biana says, and I scowl.

"Another drama queen session?" I grumble. Biana turns to me and meets my eyes with a gaze like steel. I gulp.

"Yes," she agrees, and continues pacing. "Now, I know you think we're oblivious. But Fitzypoo, do you remember how obvious it was that Sophie and I liked each other-to everyone but us?"

I glance at her in concerned confusion. What is she getting at?

"Yeah…"

"Well, you're in that position now. Do you know what I mean?"

I stare at her blankly. _Now_ what is she implying?

Biana sighs, approaching me and sitting down on the bed beside me. She wraps an arm around my shoulders. I glance at her, still puzzled.

"You're such a clueless idiot," she remarks. I roll my eyes.

"What is it?" I ask. Biana shakes her head.

"You have to figure it out yourself, Fitzypoo," she tells me, ruffling my hair. _Who's the younger sibling, again?_ "But just remember…"

She stands, blinking in and out of sight as she walks to the door. She pauses and turns around.

"Don't let what Dad does to me affect you. Be yourself, Fitzy. What they think doesn't matter."

With that, she vanishes and walks out of my room, leaving me to my whirlwind of thoughts.

I run a hand through my hair and immediately wince, realizing that my hand had been coated with flour. Well, now I have to take a shower. Great.

I'd recently discovered a passion for baking, which Alvar had teased me relentlessly about before his betrayal. Apparently baking is "girly" and "feminine". I push the thought of Alvar away. He doesn't deserve a place in my mind. I've worried about him enough.

I step back from the oven and set the temperature and a timer so that I'll know when to take the ripplefluffs out. I brush off flour from my apron and sit down in a nearby chair, tired but satisfied. I'm certain the ripplefluffs will turn out well.

**[I know absolutely nothing about baking, so apologies if I got any details incorrect. I also haven't a clue what ripplefluffs are except for their name...]**

_Feminine. Girly._ I sigh, the words still circulating through my head. Am I girly? I never would think so. I'm as boyish as can be! I rest my head in my arms, closing my eyes. Maybe I can take a power nap and ignore the thought tornado in my mind.

Ha-ha. Yeah, right.

_But Fitzypoo, do you remember how obvious it was that Sophie and I liked each other-to everyone but us?_

I glance at the bottle of periwinkle food colouring I'd used to dye the ripplefluffs. I always seem to bake for the people I love. Back when I thought I was crushing on Sophie, I'd made her ripplefluffs as a gift. But who were these for, then? I'd made these on a whim.

I grab the food colouring bottle, studying the label. Slurps and Burps. I remember walking into the place, grabbing random bottles of food colouring and searching for periwinkle. I'd just decided that periwinkle was my favourite colour and wanted some.

And then Dex had come over to help me find it…

My face suddenly feels hot. I stare at the bottle in realization. The way I fumbled over my words when talking to Dex, the blush staining his cheeks, the moment our fingers brushed and sparks shot up my arm.

_Yeah, I think I have a crush on Dex Dizznee. I've had it for a long time now._

"FITZ! COULD YOU TURN THAT OFF?"

My heart jumps into my throat and I leap out of the chair, startled. I realize the timer has been ringing for some time now and I gasp in horror.

"SORRY MOM!" I yell back, racing to disable the timer. I don my gloves and yank the oven open, steam rising from the door.

I stare at the perfect periwinkle ripplefluffs in amazement. _Sometimes, the unexpected can turn out beautifully._

"Fitz?" My mother descends the staircase, blinking in and out of sight. To my surprise, my dad follows her.

"What are you doing?" Dad asks, his eyebrows furrowing.

I hurriedly shut the piping hot pastries into a container. Mom thinks it's cool that I bake, but Dad seems to think it's weird.

_Don't let what Dad does to me affect you. Be yourself, Fitzy. What they think doesn't matter._

I hesitate. Maybe Biana's right. Maybe … it doesn't matter.

"I'm baking, Dad," I reply, stepping out from behind the counter with my box of ripplefluffs and dusty apron. "What else?"

Dad glances sidelong at Mom, who smiles brightly. Dad rolls his eyes.

"Fitz, that-"

I cut him off before he can continue.

"Dad, no. I can do what I want. Why can't you just let me be myself?"

"What?" Dad steps back, clearly hurt. I ignore the pang of guilt in my stomach. "Fitz, you know that I love you-"

"Well, maybe you won't anymore!" I shout suddenly, without thinking. My temper flares and I stomp closer to him, right to his face. "After what happened with you and Biana!"

Dad blinks, stepping back. "Son-"

"Dad, Mom." I swallow, meeting their eyes in turn. My heart pounds with anger; blood rushes to my head, and I can't think. And everything just comes out.

"I'm gay."

**A/N: :D **

**(that was awful the flow was all wrong what was that character development and Fitz sounds like a three-year-old I'm sorry) (I'll try to update soon okay)**


	16. PIII: Chapter Three

**A/N: so sorry for the late update. I haven't been doing very well lately. I … almost attempted suicide several times … but I didn't, and that's what matters. Thanks for sticking with me, everyone.**

**apologies if Dex and Fitz are totally out of character. To me, Fitz is quite difficult to write, but I hope I did him justice. **

**( And I WILL TRY to update soon after this. I'm so excited for marellinh! )**

**PoptartsAndBooks: lol, thanks! here it is (:**

**MagicDaydreamer: thanks Cress! **

**Rain and Shadows: yes it did! thanks so much. here's the next update, finally c:**

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: thank you so much. that really means a lot. 3**

**Guest: soo late, but here it is!**

**A very obsessed fangirl: thanks! and I definitely will write that oneshot sometime! :D**

_DEX DIZZNEE_

_Let's get one thing straight._

_I'm not._

_Poof._ The teal concoction blows up in my face. I cough, stumbling away from the elixir I'd been attempting to make. I crash into the sink and splash my face with cold water, gagging up any chemicals I might have inhaled.

"Dexter Alvin Dizznee, you idiot!" I mutter, wiping my face dry with a random towel that was probably no cleaner than my own face. "And you _wonder_ why you're constantly messing up elixirs."

I sigh, staring at the mess of teal on my desk. I'm in the workshop at Slurps and Burps, trying and failing to create this teal elixir.

"That's what happens when you get lost in gaydreams!" I mutter. "Don't let everything teal make you think of …"

I trail off, glancing at the door. For all I know, the triplets could be listening to my somewhat insane self talk, waiting to hear the name of my crush. Or it could be my parents. Honestly, my parents are basically kids with adult roles.

I roll my eyes at myself and grab the semi-clean towel, wiping up the mess. Why does everything teal have to make me think of _him_? Dark hair, white teeth, bright smile-

_Gosh dang it, Dizznee, get your act together!_

I toss the towel onto the floor and grab a new bottle of teal powder, preparing for another failure in making this wonderfully-coloured elixir. Unlike Sophie, I'm not completely oblivious to myself.

Because when I fell for Wonderboy, I knew it.

And I hated it.

As I mix ingredients, I muse about the first time I realized just how much I liked the dark-haired elf. I honestly don't know. Maybe when I kissed Sophie, my "crush", and discovered just how much I _liked_ her - as a friend. And it slowly came to me that I wasn't jealous of Sophie and Fitz because of Sophie, but -

The vial of teal powder shatters.

I curse loudly. _Now_ how am I going to finish this?

"DEX! DEX! DEX!"

I'm not entirely sure if Rex, Lex, and Bex each said my name once or chorused it together three times, but either way, they stumble into the door and bang on it, chanting my name.

"WHAT WHAT WHAT?" I yell back, yanking off my gloves and running to open the door. Bex jabs a thumb behind her, to where a figure was slowly, cautiously walking towards me.

My jaw drops, and heat rushes to my face as I stare at the dark hair and bright eyes of the elf I'd been thinking about only moments ago. Flour dusts his hair, and he's wearing a pink-and-white checked apron over his tunic. He awkwardly holds a white box in his hands - oh _man_, are those oven mitts?

I've never seen someone so cute in my life.

I realize I've been gaping at him for some time now, and the triplets are sneaking away, giggling and winking at me. More heat rushes to my face as I snap my mouth shut and glance at my feet. I must look ridiculous compared to the angel of a boy before me; there's teal powder on my worn pants and tunic, and my hair is a total rat's nest. Not to mention, my face is on _fire_.

"Fitz!" I finally squeak, looking up from my feet and to him. His eyes dart away, refocusing on my feet. Apparently my feet are very interesting.

Wait … had he been staring … at me?

"Er, um, uh, what are you doing here?" I manage. Blood rushes to my head and I resist the urge to bury my face in my hands, totally embarrassed. _What kind of awful remark is that, Dex? _

"Well …" Fitz mumbles, stretching out the word as his eyes stay fixed on the ground, "I went to Rimeshire, but your mom told me you and Kesler and the triplets are here, so I came here!" He fidgeted with the box.

"Oh, um, why don't you come in and put ... whatever that is … down?" I suggest, attempting to be polite. I turn to open the door only to find that I'd been holding it open with my body. The door slammed shut, sending me flying into the room and Fitz on the other side.

I groaned, my face burning as I quickly scramble to the door and throw it open - almost smacking Fitz in the face.

"Aah! I'm so sorry!" I practically squeal. Fitz blinks in surprise, as if realizing that he'd almost been punched by an inanimate object.

"No problem," he replies coolly, following me into the room. I blush even redder as I see the explosion of teal powder and glass.

"Maybe stay away from that," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. Fitz nods and sets the box down on a random counter. I push a chair towards him and he drops into it gratefully.

"Actually, Fitz. What's going on?" I ask. And finally, _finally,_ Fitz looks up and meets my eyes.

Promptly bursting into tears.

"Yikes!" I yelp, quickly drawing up a chair and plopping down beside him. _Oh man._ What am I supposed to do? My crush is sitting beside me, sobbing his eyes out! In a pink apron!

After a moment of confusion, I lean closer to him and carefully place an arm around his shoulder. He stiffens, his sniffles receding, but as I slowly begin to rub circles across his back, his body relaxes.

Should I say something? Sing a lullaby? Yeah, _no._

"Oh my Vacker," Fitz blurts, his words choked. He drops his head into his oven mitt-clad hands. "I'm so sorry, Dex. I shouldn't be - doing this -"

"Sorry?" I shake my head before realizing he can't see me. "No, Fitz, you have no reason to be sorry! I get it, okay?" I wrap both arms around him now in an awkward embrace. "It's fine. Let it out."

Fitz pauses, then turns and hugs me back. Warmth spreads through my core as he rests his head on my shoulder.

"Thanks."

We stay there for a moment until I gently pull away, unable to hold the twisted position any longer. My heart pounds with euphoria, but I watch Fitz with concern.

"D'you want to talk about it?" I ask quietly. Fitz blows out a long breath, eyes unfocused.

"You know what happened with Biana when she came out to my dad," he begins slowly. My blood races through me as my mind works to connect the dots, but I push my own thoughts away. I need to focus on Fitz.

"He found me in the kitchen, baking," Fitz continues, fidgeting with his apron. "Dad disapproves of baking. Maybe it's girly. Maybe it's a waste of time. I don't know." A tense silence follows his words, and I hesitate, waiting.

"Dex, I …" Fitz stands up suddenly, taking two smooth paces and turning around gracefully. He meets my eyes desperately. "Dex, I'm gay."

_One_. My heart thuds in my chest.

_Two_. Tears form in teal eyes.

_Three_.

"Me too!" I exclaim. Fitz blinks, his eyes brightening and a soft smile spreading across his face. "Well, technically I'd say I'm bi or pan," I babble, "but same basic principle -"

Fitz slows my embarrassing tide of words with another glorious embrace, practically leaping towards me and lifting me out of my chair. I squeak in surprise and he staggers backwards a bit, but we're both grinning.

As soon as my feet touch the ground, we stumble apart, but still within arms' length. Now standing eye-to-eye, I can see that we're pretty much the same height, with his teal irises boring into mine.

"Oh wow," Fitz huffs out a little laugh and tilts his head slightly. "Say something, please?"

I realize that he's nervous; because of me? Because he wants to know what my reaction is to our very unique interactions? I'm overthinking this.

"I have a crush on you," I blurt. Instantly, I wish I could take it back as I start to panic. Overthinking and blurting out _exactly what I'm thinking _are _different_!

Fitz's cheeks are tomato red, and he runs a hand through his hair, the same adorable laugh slipping out of his mouth.

"Well, then," he says, grinning at me. "I've got one on you, too."

There's a pause as I stare at him in disbelief, my heart stuttering.

"I, well, no, but, er" is all that I can say. Honestly, I'm such a linguistics master.

Fitz laughs again, but it's a nervous laugh.

"I'm sorry; are we moving too fast? We can …" he trails off as I shake my head.

"Nope! I like this, actually," I manage, smiling cheekily at him. Gosh, I'm such a dork. Why would Fitz Vacker ever like me?

"Okay then …" Fitz swallows, his throat bobbing. I wring my hands before deciding to say what he was undoubtedly dying to say.

"Wonderboy, will you be my boyfriend?"


	17. PIII: Chapter Four

**A/N: huge apologies for this very, very late update! I've been so busy, it's not funny at all. But … are you ready for a plot twist? ;)**

**Charlotte O CATS KOTLC: thank you so much!**

**lilypaws: thanks **

**MidnightBunny: lol, well, I guess he is now!**

**Sokeefe555: thanks!**

_FITZ VACKER_

Everglen has never looked so bleak.

I stand alone, frozen at the entrance, telling myself to open the doors and walk in. To stride in with pride and courage and strength. But I don't. I stand there, limbs like stone, hands curled into fists. _Wow, Fitz_. I can't even walk into my own house.

Is Biana here? Does she know about my dramatic "I"m gay" episode? Suddenly, I wish that I had talked to her before all this. She may be my little sister, but when it comes to love, she clearly knows better than I do. Just look at Biana and Sophie! How am I supposed to be as strong as them?

_You don't have to be like anyone, _I imagine Dex saying._ Just be yourself._

A small smile creeps across my face as I think of the previous events. Everything's happening so fast, and I can barely wrap my head around it. No, scratch that. I have no _idea _what in the Lost Cities is going on.

All I know is that Dexter Alvin Dizznee had asked me to be his boyfriend, and I shouted "_YES"_, and we started laughing like we were absolutely insane. And we probably are, but that's fine, because I had leaned over and pecked Dex Dizznee on his soft, smiling lips, and my stomach exploded with butterflies.

I run a hand through my hair, a soft laugh passing through my lips randomly as I continue to stare at Everglen's intimidating doors. I should actually walk in now, and do what I'm here for …

I sigh, thinking back to our conversation. After laughing and kissing and talking about nothing in particular, I told Dex about coming out to my parents and dramatically exiting immediately. We agreed that it would be better to be out to both of our families for this whole relationship thing to work, but I don't think Dex expected me to suggest talking to my parents _right away._

_"I left right after telling them,_" I'd said. _"I didn't see their reactions or anything. I should talk to them …"_

And then I looked Dex in the eye, and my breath caught.

He looked at me like I was a hero. Like I was the best elf in the Lost Cities. The look was … amazing. Others used to tell me that Sophie looked at me like that, but that's not right, because whenever I lock eyes with her, all I see is trust. Trust, and friendship.

Nothing else.

But with Dex …

I'm launched back into the present when the door in front of me opens. My heart jumps into my throat and I physically step back, startled.

"Fitz?"

My mom stands there, eyebrows raised in surprise. I guess it's weird to have your (gay) son standing on your doorstep even though he literally has the house key.

"Oh, Fitz," Mom breathes, rushing at me and embracing me. I blink, staggering; my turn to be surprised. Her arms are warm and comforting, and I hug her back, a timid smile touching my lips.

"Fitz, you know that we love you no matter what, right?" Mom says, pulling back to meet my eyes. "I don't care if you're gay or bi or straight or crooked. I love you, and so does your father, even if he's bad at showing it."

"Thanks, Mom," I mumble, heat rising to my face. She smiles, tugging me into the house.

"You should talk to him," she replies, and I know she's talking about Dad.

"That's what I'm here for," I tell her.

Dad is sitting in the living room, scanning some old scrolls and drinking tea. I slowly approach him, not daring to say anything. He doesn't look intimidating at all. His legs are up on the couch and he looks as unprofessional as ever.

"Della, want some tea? It's cold but -" Dad looks up. "Oh."

"I'd like some tea," I choke out. Dad stares at me.

"Fitz, my son." He hesitates, swinging his legs back to the ground and sitting up taller on the couch. "Why don't you sit?"

I want to say, _"er, maybe because you're an insensitive homophobe … ?"_ But instead I slowly sit across from him, noting that he'd called me his son.

Dad pushes the tea across the coffee table **[or the elvin equivalent of coffee tables]** and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I hadn't _actually_ wanted the tea.

"Fitz …" Dad sighs, lacing his fingers. "I'm sorry."

I blink, once again surprised by my parents.

"You're sorry?" I echo, and Dad nods.

"I have not been … " He clears his throat. " … civil to you and your sister."

"_Civil?_" I repeat. "Dad, you've been _evil."_

Dad closes his eyes briefly before nodding.

"Okay, I concede to your point," he admits. "And for that, I apologize. I … have just been under a lot of stress and I suppose I took it out on you."

I just glare at him. _That's not gonna suffice_.

"Apologize to Biana, then," I demand. "And I'd like an explanation, too."

Dad swallows, his throat bobbing.

"Perhaps I should tell you the truth," he says finally. I stare at him.

"Could you call Biana?" he asks. I open my mouth, but a voice stops me.

"Don't worry about it," my sister says, blinking into sight. She's wearing pink, white, and red, and I think her necklace was a gift from Sophie. She smiles apologetically for eavesdropping, but I don't mind at all.

"Biana," Dad breathes, looking up at her. "I'm sorry. I -"

"I said. Don't worry about it." Biana smoothes out her skirt and sits beside me, leaning back and resting her feet on the table. She flickers in and out of sight, the only proof of emotion behind her calm demeanour. "Proceed with 'the truth', Father."

Dad gulps visibly and crosses his ankles, staring at his hands.

"I feel like this is all my fault," he begins, and we both almost jump to our feet. Dad waves a hand for us to sit, but we do so reluctantly. Guilt is dangerous; we all know this. After all, Alden Vacker cannot break his mind again.

"I always strive to be the best father for my children," he says. "But apparently I failed to do that with Alvar. See -" His face crumples - "I didn't want you to be like me."

Biana and I glance at each other, puzzled.

"You know that Quinlin and I used to be Cognates. Like Fitz and Sophie. But unlike you, we lost trust in each other when I broke the mind of Prentice Endal."

Dad looks up, his eyes clouded. "But unbeknownst to most, that's not how it happened. Our relationship went beyond trust. When we were young, and vulnerable … Quinlin and I fell in love."

"_What?!"_

The word slips out of my mouth and Biana's, both of us leaning forwards and staring at Dad like he's grown an extra head. And he may as well have, for what he said.

"You mean-"

"As in-"

"You're saying-"

"_What?"_

Dad sighs, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes. Biana and I glance at each other, dumbfounded.

"You heard me correctly," Dad says finally, focusing his gaze on his hands. "I believe I am … bisexual."

We continue to gape at him.

"See, that is why I feel that this is my fault," he elaborates, gesturing vaguely at us while still refusing to meet our eyes. "There must be something wrong with me -"

"DAD!" Biana finally manages to speak, shaking her head profusely at him. She leans forwards, teal meeting teal as she forces our father to look at her. "This isn't 'your fault', because our sexual orientations don't have _anything_ to do with you. And there is NOTHING WRONG WITH IT!"

"Yeah," I interject, feeling as though I should say something. "Dad, that doesn't affect us at all, and even if it did, there's nothing to feel guilty about. We are proud of who we are, and you should be able to be proud, too."

Dad sighs through his nose, finally meeting my gaze. A tiny smile snakes across his lips.

"I am proud," he replies. "Of _you_." He swivels to smile at Biana. "And _you_. I am sorry for how I reacted earlier. I … I just …"

Biana and I walk around the table, sitting on either side of Dad. Biana lays a hand on his knee.

"It's okay, Dad," she murmurs. "We get it."

"No, you don't," Dad splutters. "I've thought, for so long, that there's something terribly wrong with me! I'm a Vacker! I should not feel this way! But you … " he tilted his head at us " … you come out and tell me to be _proud_ of my history, of the feelings I have. My children." He laughs. "It's true; each generation becomes smarter as time goes by."

"That is definitely very true," a familiar voice remarks, and we all turn to face the flickering figure of Mom as she approaches us, a warm smile on her face.

"Mom, did you know that Dad dated Quinlin?" Biana demands.

Mom winks. "That's for me to know and you to wonder."

Biana frowns.

Mom plops down on the couches' armrest, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

"I'm happy you guys made it up," she says. "I've tried for so long to convince Alden to accept himself. You are wonderful just as you are," she tells Dad, beaming at him.

Dad shakes his head, a tiny chuckle slipping out of his mouth. Biana looks at him and giggles. Mom lets out a small laugh. I finally join in, and soon we're cracking up like we're insane.

"I love you, all of you," Dad mutters, pulling us into a bear hug.

I lean on his shoulder, heart pounding with ecstasy. Dad is bi. Dad loves and accepts us. Dad will most likely bless my relationship with Dex.

"I love you too," I breathe into his warm embrace. "And Dad?"

"Yes, my son?"

"You better love yourself, too."

**A/N: ahaha the cheese. laying it on thick tonight. how are you feeling about Alden ? still hate him ? yes, I've been planning this all along, in case you were wondering. (:**

**hopefully, I will update soon! until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **


	18. PIII: Chapter Five

**a/n: a thousand apologies for this extremely late update ! we've approached the end of part III, which is pretty exciting. I'm so stoked for part IV. but first, let's finish our little fedex fairytale 3**

_DEX DIZZNEE_

Okay, where _is_ he?

Waves of agitation crash over me as I pace behind the front doors of Rimeshire, the floor no doubt wearing beneath my feet. I glance at the clock every two seconds, biting my lip. Is he okay? Will his dad kick him out? Man, I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have let him do this. What if he gets hurt; what if his parents say we can't be together; what if -

A soft _thump_ sounds from behind the door and I jolt towards it, throwing it open. A flash of dark hair and bright teal blurs my vision and suddenly I'm launched into the warm embrace of my boyfriend. I can hear his heartbeat and ragged breathing, and in panic I look up and search his eyes, his eyes of teal.

He's smiling.

"You're okay," I breathe in relief, burying my face in his shoulder. He laughs, his chest rising and falling, and I can feel him nod.

"You're okay," I repeat, smiling as well. "You're okay. You're okay. We're okay."

"Of course I am," Fitz replies, pulling back to grin at me. "Why wouldn't I be? I can take care of myself, y'know."

"Hmmph. Duh. I know that." I turn away. "I just … worried. I guess you wouldn't know. It's a poor elf thing."

I feel Fitz staring at me, and I resist the urge to laugh, hoping he knew I was kidding. There was a pause, and then at the same moment, we burst out laughing.

"That was a really low joke," Fitz tells me. I smirk.

"I know."

"DEXY HAS A BOOOYFRIEND!"

"What the-" I turn to face the triplets, who run down the hall with little rainbows painted on their faces, grinning and pointing at us. Heat spreads across my face and to the tips of my ears.

"Knock it off," I mumble, stepping out of the doorway into Rimeshire. "Come on in, Fitz …"

Fitz walks into the house and closes the door.

"DEXY HAS A BOOOOOOOOOYFRIEND!" the triplets chorus, screeching to a stop in front of Fitz. Bex stands on her tiptoes and looks up into his eyes.

"You better treat Dex well, or we're gonna get you," she warns.

Fitz grins slightly, pink rushing into his cheeks.

"Don't worry; I will," he replies, winking at me. My brain goes fuzzy. How can one elf contain so much cute energy?

The triplets giggle and walk off, making kissy gestures at me. I roll my eyes.

"So … how did it go with your parents?" I ask when they're out of sight. Fitz's grin widens.

"Guess what? My dad is bi," he says, laughing a little. "He's _bi_, Dex! He was just … he felt guilty that both of his kids 'turned out gay.'"

I gape at him, stunned.

"Well …" I draw out the word when I can finally speak. "That's a major plot twist."

"Yep!" Fitz reaches out and grabs my hand, sending sparks through my body. "Let's go tell your parents!"

"Whoa, okay!" I manage, stomach lurching as I follow him. But I have no reason to be nervous, right?

Yes, actually. I do. My parents will fangirl worse than the triplets.

"Hey, Mom, hey, Dad," I say, waving awkwardly to my parents when we reach their office. Fitz's fingers are still entwined with mine, and my entire body is aware of it.

"Hi …" Mom glanced at Fitz and smirked. "Dex and Fitz!"

"What's this I see?" Dad studies us like a science experiment. "Dex plus Fitz equals love?"

"DAD!" I yelp, certain that my face was redder than Sophie's has ever been. Fitz laughs. Okay, that's one cute laugh.

"Sounds about right, Mr. Dizznee," he replies coolly. Dad beams at him.

"That's Kesler to you! You're family now!" Dad winks at me.

"Yo, we haven't even announced it yet!" I complain. My entire company laughs. Traitors.

"We can see it in your eyes," Mom explains, still chuckling. "And the hand-holding might clue us in a little."

I facepalm with my free hand. Fitz tilts his head to smile at me.

"Now, Fitz, would you like to stay for dinner? Boyfriend traditions?" Mom suggests. Fitz's smile widens and my blush gets even deeper.

"Sure, I'll just check with my mom with my Imparter," he says. "If yes, I'll even make dessert!"

The dessert was the best I've ever had.

The next day, it takes exactly 0.0001 seconds for Keefe to fangirl over us.

"FITZY HAS A BOOOOOYFRIEND!" he singsongs the moment he sees us together. Apparently he and the triplets have the same mindset.

"Shut up," Fitz complains, but he's smiling. Linh steps out from behind Keefe, eyeing us with her bright eyes.

"Fitz and Dex?" she squeals, delighted. "That's adorable!"

"Did I just hear 'Fitz and Dex?'" Marella walks up to us, her eyebrows raised. "Huh." She glances at Linh for a heartbeat before returning to studying us.

"Called it," Biana says from behind us. I turn to face the Vanisher, hand-in-hand with her girlfriend. Sophie beams at me.

"Dex! I'm so proud of you!" she exclaims, letting go of Biana to throw her arms around my neck in a signature Sophie strangle-hug. I gasp for breath and pat her back in reassurance. Biana appears beside her brother and pinches his nose.

Fitz's expression is too cute for its own good.

**( I don't remember squat about Foxfire, so let's assume they have PE first block. I vaguely recall that everybody has that class together, and that they played the splotching thing. lmao, correct me if you can … apologies for your foolish fanfic writer ! )**

After the fangirling session, we all head for PE. Sophie and Biana swing their hands back and forth, sharing their mutual dread of PE, while Keefe, Marella, and Linh walk behind them. Fitz and I take up the rear, but as we turn the corner, Fitz stops me.

"I hate PE," he says. I glance at him.

"Same!"

"Wanna skip?"

I stare at him for a good five seconds.

"Wonderboy, Prince of Perfect, a Vacker - _skipping class_?" I marvel when I can finally find my words. Fitz flushes. We seem to be doing that a lot lately.

"I mean … yeah," he mutters. "Whatever. I just … kinda want to?"

"Is Keefe rubbing off on you?" I ask suspiciously. Fitz shrugs.

"I dunno. Do you want to skip with me?"

This should sound bad and Keefe-y, but I find it oddly adorable and romantic. And my heart skips a couple of beats.

"Why not?" I reply finally. We grin at each other and without another word, race down the hall.

We sit outside in the grass. There's nobody out here but us, so the soft whisper of wind and grass is the only sound. We plop down onto the hard earth, giggling to each other.

"This feels way more rebellious then it should," I say, and Fitz nods emphatically.

"Kinda feel guilty, but oh well," he admits, leaning his head on my shoulder. His soft brown hair tickles my ear. I turn my head and nervously press my lips to that blanket of dark hair and quickly dart away, wondering if that was a dumb move.

Fitz just smiles again.

I don't know how long we sit there in comfortable silence, our minds slowly processing the very fast events that had passed within a few days. It's quite a lot, after all. As Keefe would say, we are experiencing a "gay revolution."

"Whoa," Fitz blurts suddenly. I look at him. He points in front of us, towards the gymnasium.

"What?"

Fitz sniffs the air and points again. "Is that … smoke?"

**a/n: any ideas about smoke ? ;)**

**anyways, that was … kinda bad? but it marks the end of this part! woohoo! time for marellinh :D**


	19. Part IV

**A/N: I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN A DECADE - I'm so sorry aah ! ( ik, that joke isn't funny anymore ... XD ) here we are, finally, with part IV - and I'm going to try to actually update quickly and finish this fanfic. (:**

**I'm sorry I don't have time to reply to all your reviews anymore, but just know that I read them and I love and appreciate all of you :D**

_Part IV: In Which Fire and Water have Chemistry_

_Fire is red,_

_Water is blue._

_I know we're so different,_

_But I've fallen for you._


	20. PIV: Chapter One

**A/N: sorry for yet another slow update ... but marellinh, here we come :D (btw, did you guys see the art of Marella by Laura Hollingsworth? she's so gorgeous omw)**

**By the way … I can't remember anything about splotching and elvin PE, so please bear with me and feel free to (politely) correct me if I'm wrong, lol. Thanks for understanding!**

_LINH SONG_

_ earlier …_

Sometimes I catch myself staring at the ground, at the shadows, some tiny part of me hoping and wishing that they would reach out and meet mine. That my twin brother's voice would fill my head and would comfort me, telling me, _I'm here._

But, as I walk side-by-side with Keefe and Marella, the shadows stay still. I risk a glance at Keefe, and I can't help but notice that he's watching the ground, too, a small frown curling at the corners of his lips.

He misses Tam as much as I do.

Keefe meets my eyes and we smile at each other, a soft, sad smile. Ever since Tam's departure, I think Keefe and I have become closer. He's the only one that's as worried about Tam as I am, even though Keefe rarely shows it.

On my other side, Marella clears her throat. I jump in surprise, red spreading across my cheeks. Keefe quickly looks away, his smile morphing into a smirk.

"Ugh, I think we're doing another splotching championship," Biana complains, rolling her teal eyes as she glances back at us. "We all know how that's going to turn out; Sophie beating my brother with ease -"

"Wait, where's Fitz?" Sophie interrupts. "And Dex?"

Keefe snickers.

"Let's not bother them," he says, his smirk widening. Sophie covers her mouth, eyes wide. Biana giggles.

"Interesting," Marella notes, raising a delicate eyebrow. "I guess that means Sophie will be winning this one, huh?"

Sophie rolls her eyes. "You never know what can happen … I'm not as good as you guys think!"

Biana sighs and wraps an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders.

"You're right." She smiles. "You're even _better_."

_Splotch!_

I wince as the ice-blue paintball splashes across Keefe's face. Keefe laughs easily at my facial expression as he starts to walks away.

"You're pretty good at this game," he says, and I shrug.

"Probably because of Exillium," I reply, and his face falls. I know the look in his eyes - he's thinking about his boyfriend.

"Losers to the wall! I'm talking to you, Mr. Sencen," the instructor calls out cheerfully. Keefe sighs and shoots me a quick smile before jogging off.

"My turn?" The familiar voice gives me a strangely familiar feeling, like a river of cold running down my back, but in a refreshing way. I turn to face Marella.

"You beat Maruca?"

Marella hums in agreement, her blonde hair swinging around her petite face. We face each other, and I can feel a soft blush creeping up my arms. Something about Marella makes me warm, like a gentle hot spring. It must be because she's a Pyrokinetic. Right?

We catch the paintballs and face each other. The instructor shouts at us to splotch, and my heart pounds as I concentrate on the blue ball over my head. Suddenly splotching feels very, very intense -

As the paint whirls towards me, a flash of orange catches my eyes, and I can see fire licking around the corners of the paint. A scream lodges itself in my throat as I throw water at the paintball inferno, and the paint splatters on the ground.

Tiny flames appear on the ground, dancing playfully as they begin to grow. I look up quickly and see Marella's ice-blue eyes wide with panic and terror.

_She's out of control._

I know exactly what it feels like.

I gather the moisture in the air and extinguish the flames as fast I can, until all that's left is a puddle of water and paint. Heads turn to face us, and Marella's face burns a fiery red (not literally).

"Whooooa!" I quickly say, facing Marella and laughing awkwardly. "You scared me! Sorry … I shouldn't have splashed you and the paint with the water. I guess I'm still not used to these games."

Marella's colour slowly returns to normal and she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever," she replies easily, flicking her soft blonde hair over her shoulder and turning away. I swallow a lump in my throat and turn away as well, walking towards Keefe and Dex to the "loser wall". An uneasy feeling swirls in my stomach, but I push it away before I can identify it.

No one is surprised when Sophie wins the final round against a female a level above ours, but Biana still runs up to her girlfriend and hugs her like she'd won the Lost Cities. I feel a small smile creep across my face._ I wish …_

"You okay, Linh?" The voice startles me, and I turn to face Maruca, nodding awkwardly. She glances at the door, where a blonde, petite figure was running away.

"Huh. Okay." Maruca shrugs and begins to follow Sophie, Biana, and Keefe down the hall, so after a moment of confusion, I trail after them.

The feeling swirling in my stomach finally names itself: disappointment. But why? I sigh at my own behaviour and draw little water animals in the air, my smile returning at the familiar process.

"Psst. Linh." A hand grabs my arm and yanks me into the washroom. I yelp in surprise, my heart hammering for fear that this is the male's washroom, but to my relief, it's not. Especially because the pretty blonde elf in front of me is definitely not male.

"I. Er. Thanks, Linh …" Marella's face reddens and I can feel heat rushing to my cheeks as well. I avoid her eyes and look instead to her shoulder, where her hair cascades down like a waterfall.

"I just … I hate being out of control. But you ... " Marella shakes her head. I twist my fingers together.

"You make it alright," Marella finishes, and before I can move she leans in, smelling like sweet smoke and wildflowers, and presses her petal-soft lips to my cheek. A bucket of ice-cold water seems to be dumped on my head and I freeze, the feeling beautiful and surprising and refreshing.

She pulls away far too quickly, her warmth vanishing as she flees from the washroom. Her footsteps fade away as I slowly reach up, still frozen, and touch my cheek.

_Did that just happen?_

The answer becomes clear as the plumbing explodes.

**A/N: hope you enjoyed! I don't know why Linh is so punny and kind of out-of-character, but … oh well. **

**I am very sorry, but I will probably have another long break before the next update. I have a scary exam coming up that might get me into a special program, so I have to study for that. I'm also really struggling with my mental health right now, so everything is kind of sped-up and slowed-down all at once. Sorry! I'll update when I can 3 love you guys so much!**


	21. PIV: Chapter Two

**A/N: aah i'm so sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait ! life has been … crazy lately, as i'm sure all of you can feel. covid-19 is really messing things up. how are you guys doing? i'm sorry i cannot reply to all of your reviews anymore, but i read and appreciate every one of them. thank you so much for supporting this story (:**

**anyways, applause if you actually read through my cringe-worthy a/ns. let's get on with the marellinh !**

_MARELLA REDEK_

_I am an IDIOT, I am an IDIOT, I am a freaking absolutely stupid IDIOT._

I hold my head in my hands, heat rushing to my face. I'm probably, quite literally, smoking from the ears. According to my dad, that has happened before. My palms feel cold against my burning face - ah, I hope my face isn't _actually_ burning, either …

_I AM SUCH AN IDIOT._

The memory of her smooth lips ever so gently touching mine warms my mouth, her freshwater scent lingering in my hair. I ball my fists as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat drowning out the sound around me.

_Stupidstupidstupid. Why did you do that? Why the hell did I do that?_

"Because I love her," I whisper, muffling my words with my fist. I squeeze my eyes shut. "And I hate it."

It feels like I've loved her forever, like all my life had always been associated with silver-tipped hair and cold hands and carefree smiles. Even if it hadn't been so long when I first saw her, awestruck by her beauty and the _lightness_ of her features yet the hint of _dark_ in her eyes, it felt like I'd known her for the entirety of my being.

I'd first seen her, wondering what had happened to make the strong, lovely female have such sadness in her silvery-blue eyes, but quickly turned my gaze to Tam. Because I'm supposed to look at the boy. Not the girl.

I tug on my braids furiously, flames flickering between my fingers._ I hate her. I hate Linh Song._

"Why does she have to do this to me?" I growl to myself, ignoring the hustle around me as Foxfire moved to their next classes. I'm no Vanisher, but somehow I have made myself invisible. When I'm not speaking, gossiping, or delivering comebacks, I'm suddenly nobody.

I can't remember what I have next and suddenly, I don't care. I hate this. I hate falling in love, I hate being impulsive, I hate wondering if I'm becoming my mother. I hate being nobody. I hate covering up everything I do and everything I want, I hate covering up who I am, covering up my own _ability_-

I just hate this.

I stand, drawing in deep breaths as I smell smoke around me. Next class has already begun, and the halls are abandoned. My footsteps clatter on the ground as I dig through my bag, my fingers wrapping around my home crystal.

"Buh-bye," I mutter, holding it up into the light.

_HOLD ON HOLD IT TOGETHER - CONCENTRATE, MARELLA!_

My home finally materializes around me, and I fall to the ground, dizzy.I stare at my hands, praying they're not faded.

They're solid. I sigh in relief. Again, I am an idiot.

"You should _know_ better than to light leap when you can't concentrate, dumbass," I grumble as I stagger to my feet, dusting off my tunic. As my vision clears, I stumble towards the door, the ground shaky beneath my feet.

**(i don't know how to describe marella's house because i can't remember when the keeper crew went there … i also cannot remember what it is called. please inform me if you know XD otherwise, sorry for the lack of setting!)**

Finally in the house, I stumble into the kitchen for a glass of water, but even just the sight of the glass makes me think of _her_ again. I choke on the water.

_Get it together, Marella!_

"Marella?"

I look up at my mom, standing in the doorway, her eyes tired and drooping.

"Already home?" she asks, frowning. "School's over?"

"Uh … yeah, early dismissal," I say quickly, watching her carefully. I never know if she's going to become an entirely new person in front of me. _Why couldn't I just be an Empath?_

"I didn't know it was early dismissal," she replies slowly, looking at her feet. "I didn't know …" I grit my teeth as her dragging pace wears on my already-short nerves.

"Well, now you do," I snap, turning away to dump the water in the sink. That's when I realize the glass is melting in my hand. A harsh curse passes through my lips and I drop the molten glass into the sink, which promptly begins to creak from the heat.

Frustration begins to pour into my veins and fire flickers all over my body, and I yank the cold water on, splashing it on myself, but it only turns to steam and I can only think of _her_ again. I whip around-

"Marella-" my mother starts, but I cut her off.

"NO! Just STOP! STOP IT!" I scream, and I run past her, a trail of black footprints behind me, out of the house and away without any destination.

**a/n: wtf did i just write? well, oof. i didn't mean to be so angsty … sorry marella … lol i feel like i've disappointed you guys after the long wait, but i also need to update so i'm just going to stick with this. apologies! my writing is actual trash, especially since i haven't written in forever.**


	22. PIV: Chapter Three

**a/n: double updated because i feel terrible about last chapter (not that this one is any better) **

_LINH SONG_

_Plop._ A tear falls to the floor beside my floor. I stare at it for a moment, then call it to my hand.

The moisture in the air slowly forms into a question mark, and I tilt my head at it, blinking slowly.

"I don't know what's going on, Tam," I murmur, looking down at Tam's empty bed. I'm in our room at Tiergan's house, staring down at Tam's abandoned belongings … again.

"Marella … she kissed me." I laugh softly. "Wow, I said that out loud! She kissed me and then she ran away." I look to the window, clear as a still lake, imagining that Tam was listening from wherever he is, sitting in some Neverseen hideout with a scowl on his face and his eyes hidden behind his bangs, but beneath them they're sparkling because he's secretly amused at my predicament. And he's probably ecstatic, since he's finally together with the boy that he's been babbling about nonstop since they met. How _annoying_ and _irresponsible_ and absolutely _dumb_-_witted_ Keefe is. I'd thought the tide of _Keefe_ would never end. It always amused me how clueless Tam had been about his obsession with Keefe, but now?

Maybe … it makes sense.

At least now that Keefe has visited Tam and everything has happened, Tam has Keefe to think of in the middle of his horrible predicament. Tears flow from my eyes once more as I think of how lonely Tam must be, how scared …

But he's Tam. He's strong. He will be fine. He always has-

"Linh?"

The soft voice startles me from my stupor and I turn to face a blonde female in the doorway, eyes wide as they meet mine. I quickly evaporate the tears and question mark and step towards her.

"Sophie? W-what are you doing here?"

"Sorry, I…" Sophie glances behind her, tugging at her eyelashes. "Um, she said she lost her temper and leaped to a random place, which turned out to be Havenfield and-"

"Wait." I hold up my hand to cease the flow of confused words coming from Sophie's mouth. "Slow down … who? When?"

"Marella," Sophie says, and I can feel the heat rushing to my head and blooming in my cheeks. "She leaped to Havenfield on a whim, so I thought I'd take her to you."

"S-she's here?"

"Yeah." Sophie opens the door a little wider, then hesitates and meets my eyes. Her voice fills my head as she transmits, _She's kind of panicking and stuff, so be gentle - ah, what am I saying, you're Linh. See you later._

"Wait, I-" Before I can finish, Sophie disappears and there stands a petite elf with straw-blonde hair tucked into so many ropes of gold, eyes glittering like thawing ice and hands knotted together in a frenzy of nervous energy. It's like my tongue is suddenly frozen, and I can only blink at Marella Redek in stunned silence.

"Linh, I …" She swallows and looks away, her gaze unfocused. "I, uh-"

It's clear she's in distress, if the small flames peeking out from between her twisting fingers and the way she fidgeted and shifted her weight didn't communicate that, I can see the panic bright in her eyes, and the sight of Marella Redek so out of control unfreezes my body.

"It's okay," I say quickly, running to her side and pulling her into a hug. She stiffens and tries to pull away, unclasping her hands to keep them as far from me as possible, but I refuse to let go.

"Linh!" Her voice is strained. "Let go, stupid, I don't want to burn you!"

I reach for the moisture in the air, and blanket it softly onto Marella's hands, extinguishing the fires.

"It's okay. See?" I smile at her and hug her closer. "It's okay, Marella."

She doesn't reply, but her arms slowly wrap around my shoulders, and eventually she leans into the embrace.

We stay there for a moment, quiet and still, but I can feel her quivering slightly. Finally I pull away to meet her eyes.

"Why are you shaking?"

"I-I …" Marella shakes her head vehemently. "I'm just being an idiot. That's all."

I frown at her, gesturing for her to sit down on my bed. When she slowly obliges, I plop beside her and lean on her shoulder.

"You're not an idiot," I reply finally. "Everyone loses control sometimes. Even the strongest people do." A droplet of water floats into the air and splashes Marella's nose. "Actually, especially the strongest people."

Out the corner of my eye I see her roll her eyes.

"I'm anything but strong, if that's what you're saying. I'm not _like_ you and the moonlark and the Vackers. I never really wanted to be caught up in all these grand schemes and adventures. I just want to have a normal life and let everybody be safe."

"That doesn't mean you're not strong, or brave, or whatever else. There's no shame in wanting a normal life." I sit up, tilting my head to meet her icy eyes. "If I could, maybe I'd want a normal life, but that was just never an option as a twin. And you, with your ability…" I grab her hands. "You _are_ strong, Marella, even if it's not easy to see for you."

Pink stains her cheeks and she ducks her head.

"I'm glad I have you, Linh."

**a/n: it's 3am, this chapter is trash but i haven't updated and i need to, so i'll just end this here before i drag it into filler eternity. hopefully i will update sooner, but i apologize in advance if it takes a long time. thanks for sticking with me; i love you !**


	23. PIV: Chapter Four

**long-ass a/n: another late update, another apology. i'm pretty damn consistent with my inconsistency, huh? sorry you all have to put up with me. well, i'm going to give you guys a shock and say i've decided how and when to end this fic.**

**i first released this fic on june 1st, 2019 for last year's pride month. my plan is to finish this absolute mess exactly a year since i started it. i can only hope i can achieve that, seeing as i have condemned myself to another double update today. sorry for the sudden ending, but here we are, on the second last chapter of a fic that has taken me a year to write, and what a year it was. okay, i won't bore you with my nostalgia and reminiscing just yet and get on with the marellinh. apologies for the lengthy a/n, and the long ones to come with the end of the story.**

_MARELLA REDEK_

_"I'm glad I have you, Linh." _

The words seem to shimmer with heat as they leave my mouth, not from embarrassment or shame, but with something else. Something as red-hot and passionate as fury, but I know this is anything but that. I can never truly get angry with Linh Song.

"Of course, Marella," she replies in her sweet voice, like silver bells chiming melodically. "I'll always be here for you. You know, right?"

"I…" As if in contrast, my voice cracks like it is filled with ash and smoke. "I know."

_What kind of half-witted, self-centred, insensitive response-_

Linh giggles, and the sound makes the fire in my stomach crackle with heat, and blood rushes to my face. She's sitting so close, so close I could count each and every eyelash and breathe in her scent and maybe, maybe if I leaned in the tiniest bit our noses would bump and there would be hardly any space between us at all.

The heartbeat of silence drags on too long, and I clear my throat. "I mean, I know you're here for me, and I … appreciate it. A lot. And…"

I close my eyes, flames rearing behind my eyes, golden and bright and warm.

"I wanna be here for you, too."

I don't know how I say it. The words come out jumbled and twisted, but Linh looks at me with so much understanding, sparks rise in my throat. I barely register the cold splash of water extinguishing the flames on my hands, which I hadn't even known had appeared.

Linh opens her mouth, closes it, opens it, closes out. Like a fish out of water, like a siren without song. The silence stretches, and I can feel heat prickling on my arms, my legs, my face. And yet the light touch of water is ever-present, cool and refreshing and so Linh.

"I'm sorry," I mumble, and Linh looks up with a jolt, silvery eyes narrowed. "I mean … I'm sorry for all the shit I'm making you deal with."

Linh swats my arm, simultaneously dumping water on my head. Where did she even get so much water?

As I cough and sputter, Linh dries my face with a blanket and holds my head in her hands, and my face is burning, hotter than flame. It has to be, but all I can hear and feel are the words that spill from those pretty pink lips.

"Don't you _dare_ be sorry, Marella. I've already been through lots of … poop, and it's not your fault. Absolutely nothing is your fault, and if you ever blame yourself I'll have to dump an entire ocean on you and make sure you know that I would go through it all again if it meant that I could see you smile again."

The ferocity in her eyes, the utmost _sincerity_ ... it washes over me, not like an angry flame, but the gentle push of a small wave.

"Okay," I whisper, my voice weak and hoarse. Linh nods, and her eyes suddenly dart to the space between us as if realizing our proximity. She shifts back, and I could swear her cheeks turn even pinker.

"Why, though?"

The words slip out of my mouth, surprising us both, and heat flares in my face once more. The words are always burning in the back of my mind when Linh does something so incredibly _nice_ for me. How can somebody be so kind? _Why_?

"Why what?" she asks, her brow scrunching. But of course. This is Linh Song. It's her whole nature to be so nice to everyone.

But … even _me_? It's not like I was particularly nice to her before. I'd have thought she saw me as every stranger did: stuck-up, annoying, nosy. Whatever they call me.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

Okay, her face is definitely pink now. Not just her cheeks, but her entire face glows a soft, delicate shade of rose that somehow makes her even more beautiful than ever.

There's a heavy pause, and it's almost like smoke hangs in the air as I wait with mounting anticipation, although I don't know why. Most of the time, I know exactly what's going on when it involves two people and blushing, but not now. Not now, when it's somehow the most important time to know, at least for me.

And then she says it.

"I love you."

I used to imagine, when I first met Linh, what it would sound like if she ever said those three words to me. Perhaps in her quiet, sweet voice, a soft smile gracing her lovely lips, her eyes twinkling with her inherent kindness. I would say it back, she'd bless me with an even wider smile, and maybe we'd kiss. I stopped imagining it, though, the moment I realized what I had been thinking.

But this is not like my imagination.

No, her words tumble out in a loud, blurted rush, and her pretty silver-blue eyes go wide with surprise as her pale hands clap over her mouth. The light flush warming her face grows even redder, and I can feel heat blooming in my own as I gape at her.

_I love you_ is a common phrase for somebody as sweet and caring as Linh. She could easily mean it in the way she says it to her brother, or Keefe, or her pet murcat. But with _that_ reaction?

I'm not perfect, but I'm not quite as oblivious as a certain moonlark. Or, for that matter, the female sitting across from me. Because I know what Linh means when she tells me those three words.

And now I have to say it back.

I'm not like Linh, though. I don't throw my heart at everything that moves (and some things that don't). (Although I admire this quality of hers, even if it makes me a little jealous of others, sometimes). It's just difficult to actually bring my feelings into words. I can't remember the last time I have said those three words, not even to my parents.

The blood has drained from Linh's face, other than the slightest pink twinge in her cheeks. She doesn't meet my eyes, putting out small tongues of flame that pop up around me or in my hair or at the tips of my fingers. For once I'm grateful for my uncontrolled pyrokinesis, which gives her something to do and me the ability to stall.

_ Say it back_, I growl to myself, but the words stick in my throat like wet ash.

I choke out a curse, reach up to cradle her soft face in my warm (but thankfully not flaming) hands, and press my lips against hers.

When I kissed her on the cheek only hours earlier, I'd marvelled at how soft it was. I thought it was the softest touch in the world.

I was wrong.

Her lips beat that record; smooth, warm, safe. She smells like freshwater and flowers. Fiery giddiness burns in my chest as she smiles against my mouth, so familiar, so sweet, so _Linh_. When we finally pull apart, gasping for air, I look into those blue-glass eyes and I understand what it means to drown in somebody's eyes.

But there's nothing malicious in them. There never could be. She glows with love and happiness, and it's all I can do not to burst into flames as I finally manage to say it.

"I love you, too."

**a/n: 5 am this time. well, here is this incredibly slow and awkward chapter. if all goes to plan, the last chapter / epilogue will be out later today! sorry i've been distant and crabby lately, but i hope you guys are all doing well and i love you!**

**also, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! 3**


	24. PIV: Chapter Five

**a/n: here we are, folks. the end of the road. the final chapter. god, that sounded morbid. **

**this chapter was supposed to come out earlier but oh, well. here's the sTuNnInG cOnClUsIoN to KotLC: LGBTQ+ Edition!**

_LINH SONG_

_due to my lack of time and setting this is just vaguely LATER:_

I fight to control my panicked gasps of air, focusing on the moisture I breathe out and feeling it dissipate. It's a weird way to calm down, but it works for me. The air of the Neverseen hideout is cold and stale, and if we didn't know better, we would probably think it has been abandoned.

Sophie flickers into view as she presumably steps away from an invisible Biana, releasing her hand. She looks regal and deadly in her black suit, fitted with her beloved pockets and a dull moonlark pin. (Mr. Tiergan had said it wouldn't help much if the moonlark pin was shiny, much to my disappointment and Biana's.)

Without Sophie's enhancing, Keefe and I both come into view as well, and Biana flickers into vision for just a moment. Luckily, Keefe and I are dressed in Neverseen cloaks, so in the unlikely event that we're caught, we have some protection of our identities.

Sophie tears off her black mask and shifts so her body is angled in the silvery moonlight that floods through the single window. The light only comes in at this exact minute every night, and otherwise, the underground place is blanketed in total darkness. Sophie's shadow casts across the pitch-black floor. I hold my breath, and a warm hand squeezes mine in comfort. Keefe. I squeeze back, knowing he's just as nervous as me.

I'm not one to doubt his powers, but there's no way he can sense Sophie's shadow up against the natural darkness of the place. It seems to seep into my skin, chilling to the bone, and I shiver.

But somehow, he does.

"Who's there." Keefe's grip becomes bone-crushing at the sound of Tam's rough voice, and I choke back a sob. He's there. He sounds terrible, but he's _here_.

Sophie gestures at me.

"Tam," I manage. "Tammy, we're here."

The silence stretches. My heart throbs in my ears, my head full of rushing water. Did he-

"You can't." Tam's voice breaks. "You can't be here. I'm hallucinating."

Behind us, the streak of moonlight disappears and we're plunged into complete darkness. Biana grabs my hand, and I don't need to see Sophie to know that she's holding onto Biana's other hand.

I can't even make out her silhouette.

"Bangs Boy," Keefe says, his voice shaky. "It's us."

"Is this some form of twisted torture?" Tam snarls, and my heart shatters. "Knock it off, Ruy. That's not fucking funny."

"I-it's not him, Tammy …" Tears well in my eyes as I whisper to my brother. "We're here."

How can we show him? How can we prove we're here when even the slightest bit of light, other than that brief spell of moonlight, will activate the Neverseen's trap and alert them to our presence?

"Ask me something," I beg quietly. Our voices won't trigger anything, but I can't help but wonder if the Neverseen will spring out from nowhere if I speak too loud. "Ask something only I could know."

"No. If you're in my head, you would know anything I say. Quit trying to trick me."

It takes every muscle in my body not to run out and hug him, tell him I'm here, even let Keefe kiss him until he realizes that he's not alone.

But we can't cross the shadows. Tam has a barrier of shadowflux situated around him, and only he can cross through.

Sophie had said the most important thing was to stay calm. But it's getting harder.

A tendril of water splashes the wall of shadowflux, and it shocks me, the feeling of pure darkness against the cold water.

Tam lets out a strangled cry that rips into my gut, and I can feel Keefe step forward as his grip on my hand begins to stop blood circulation.

"Linh," Tam gasps, and I realize he's not in pain, but terrified that he hurt me.

"I'm okay," I manage, and his footsteps echo on the floor as he draws closer.

"Water," he's mumbling. "I felt it, it has to be real, _Linh_-"

Keefe shuffles sideways, towards the sound of his voice, and the rest of us shuffle along beside him. It's awkward, walking with our hands linked, but otherwise we might lose each other in the suffocating blackness.

A prison of shadows. The ideal prison for a Shade, apparently; while it might seem like their element, it's entirely the opposite. The shadows are even more smothering and overwhelming to a Shade, just like a Hydrokinetic in the middle of Atlantis.

"There you are." Keefe's voice is quiet, almost entranced, and his foot comes to step on top of mine as he releases my hand. A soft gasp of surprise, a quiet laugh, the sound of someone being punched in the shoulder and a hiss of pain. I can only assume my brother had punched his boyfriend.

I can't stop the delighted squeak that slips from my lips, and instantly I feel Tam's arms around me, and I let go of Biana's hand for a moment and sink into his embrace, burying my head in his shoulder as tears leak onto his (rather smelly) tunic. He feels different; his shoulders are broader and there's more muscle in his arms and back, but while his body seems stronger, I can feel him quiver in my arms like a teardrop about to fall from eyelashes. Tam says nothing, just holds me close and tucks his head beside mine. We freeze like that for a moment, hardly daring to believe _this is real, he's here, we're both here._

"I'm so sorry, but we're still in the middle of a Neverseen hideout," Biana murmurs, her fingers brushing my back. I nod, slowly pulling away from my brother.

"Let's get out of here," I whisper to him, "so I can finally see your face again."

"And we can see just how bad of a bruise you gave me," Keefe grumbles. Despite the tears in my eyes and the way my twin is shaking and the fact that we're currently in a pitch-dark Neverseen hideout, a quiet giggle escapes my mouth.

Typical Keefe. If anyone can help Tammy out of the dark hole he's trapped in, it's Keefe Sencen.

And here comes the difficult part: finding the exit. It takes a great deal of fumbling and bumbling, but with the help of my brother (who can almost make out silhouettes), we locate the exit and clamber out of the dark prison.

Sophie, the first to emerge, releases a yelp of shock as the moonlight hits her eyes.

"Shade your eyes a bit," she advises the rest of us.

And finally, once we've all stumbled out of the hole in the ground and Keefe has closed the camouflaged trapdoor, I see my brother.

Tam's eyes are closed, since he's been down there much longer than any of us and it's hard adjusting to the moonlit night. He's so much paler than I remember, and his back and shoulders are definitely slightly more muscular, although he's still lean and not particularly tall. His trademark bangs are longer than ever, brushing the tip of his nose with silver.

Keefe is also studying Tam, but he quickly turns to face Sophie with a lopsided grin. I don't miss the furrow of worry in his brow.

"So, Miss Foster! Time to levitate?"

We hold hands once more, and as we slowly ascend into the sky, I take another look at Tam and Keefe. Keefe's icy eyes, so much like somebody else I know, glint with determination as he stares intently at the hand clasped around Tam's. And as we freefall between worlds, a smile grows on my face.

We're going to be just fine.

**(sorry that was so unrealistic, but i had to save our shady boi … also damn, i did not mean to give tam such a hard time. idk how that happened, sorry tammy-)**

"I'm so happy you're home," Marella breathes, and I fall into her arms, inhaling her smoky scent.

"I'm glad we all made it," I reply softly, pressing my face against her shoulder. She runs a hand through my tangled hair and nods.

"Me, too."

Tam is being treated by Elwin, but any wounds he has are reportedly superficial and his body will be fine. His mind, however, wouldn't recover so easily.

But I know he will, because Keefe is sitting in there beside him, holding his hand and occasionally pressing his lips to Tam's knuckles in silent thanks. Elwin seems amused by Keefe's behaviour, as a small smile quirks on their lips every time Keefe does something sweet for Tam. I can't help but smile, too.

"Well," Marella drawls, and a tinge of excitement swirls in my chest as I turn to face my girlfriend (_my girlfriend_!). "We got your bro back, now what?"

"We have to defeat the Neverseen," Sophie mumbles. Marella scrunches her nose.

"Let's take a break first," I suggest gently, before she can interject in a more hot-headed manner. "I need to catch up with my brother!"

"And I don't know about you two, but I think we need some girl time," Biana adds, winking at Sophie. The brown-eyed elf groans, but I spot her flushed face before she buries it in Biana's hair.

"You teased me about having a Mr. Snuggles, but you _are_ Mr. Snuggles-" A deep, crisp voice grows louder as Fitz Vacker walks out of the Healing Centre. He bids a quick "see ya, Lover Boy" to Keefe before joining us.

"Hey dork!" Biana starts. "How's Tam?"

I look to the dark-haired elf as I await an answer, but Fitz just shrugs awkwardly.

"He seems tired, but that's to be expected," he elaborates, rubbing the back of his neck. "Keefe sure is taking extra special care of him…"

"So, where's _your_ boyfriend?" Biana interrupts with a grin. On cue, Dex comes barrelling down the hall, tackling Fitz to the ground in a flying embrace. Fitz yelps in surprise, and the two roll on the ground like a pair of puppies before landing side by side near our feet.

"You could just say hi," Fitz grumbles, his face varying degrees of red. Dex shrugs, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Or … I could tackle you," he responds innocently. Fitz rolls his eyes.

"And you had the audacity to call _me_ cheesy?" Keefe suddenly exclaims. I look up at the Empath, who points indignantly at Fitz and Dex as they lie beside each other on the floor. They quickly get up.

I brush past them all to face the elf standing behind Keefe. After a shower and a fresh set of clothes, Tam seems better. Better than when we first left the prison, at least. There's dark circles under his eyes, a bruise on one cheek, and he's clearly exhausted, but he doesn't have a look of terror in his eyes anymore.

"Hey, you," I giggle, kissing his nose. Tam half-heartedly swats me away, as if reluctantly accepting the affection. I know he's overjoyed to see me, though, from the way his eyebrows quirk up.

"Looks like we're all finally accounted for," Sophie declares, and we all turn to the moonlark, who's hand-in-hand with Biana as she surveys us. When we all look to her, she flushes once more but doesn't apologize. "I'm glad we're all finally together, I mean."

"Yeah, together together," Keefe remarks with a wink. Everyone rolls their eyes, but I realize that, looking at us, none of us are single anymore.

Biana has her arm looped with Sophie's, smiling radiantly as the blonde elf stares into the distance, lost in thought. Beside me, Keefe is practically carrying the exhausted Tam, tenderly allowing my brother to lean against him and smoothing his hair down. Dex is chattering excitedly to Fitz, whose gaze is trained on him with rapt attention, one hand repeatedly brushing Dex's. And then there's me and Marella, hands entwined, Marella humming quietly.

I turn to face her and find her staring at me, and warmth boils in my cheeks. Her eyes dart away for a millisecond before meeting my gaze.

"Are you happy?"

The question startles me, but the answer comes easy.

"Yes," I reply with a smile. "No, we're not completely safe yet, and there's still the Neverseen at our door and we're still healing from the past, but … right now, we're all here and about as safe as we can be. So yeah, I'm happy. I have the strongest, smartest, prettiest girlfriend ever, my brother is home and with his crush, and I have a home for one of the first times. It's … nice." I realize I've been rambling and close my mouth, but Marella's smiling at me - no, _beaming_ at me like I'd done something amazing.

"Then I'm happy, too," she murmurs, and I understand. If she's about to say anything else, I never find out, because Keefe decides to butt into all of our conversations as he adjusts Tam on his shoulder.

"Well folks, I think Operation Gay Revolution was a success! Full credit to our favourite moonlark and the smartest Vacker kid for initiating the revolution!"

"Hah," Sophie remarks, folding her arms. "It would've been hardly much if you hadn't built up the courage to visit Tam. And we never would have gotten him out if you hadn't brought Silveny on your trips, when she read Alvar's mind to see where Tam was relocated."

"We never woulda gotten that information if you hadn't found it in her head," Keefe argues.

"Okay," Marella interjects. "We get it. Go gay revolution or whatever."

"With that settled, I think we need to get Tam home," I tell Keefe, glancing at my half-asleep brother. He nods.

"Alright then, I'll see you later, Foster, Fitzy, Dexy, and-" He frowns. "Bian-y?"

I laugh.

"I better go home, too, Linh," Marella says quietly. I turn to her. Even though she had made it up with her mom, I can tell that it still bothers her that she isn't an Empath. I twirl the silver ends of my hair.

"Okay…" I peck her on the lips. "Safe travels, Marella."

"You too."

As Keefe and I practically carry Tam away, a smile sneaks across my face as I mull over my conversation with my girlfriend.

_Maybe the future is uncertain. I don't know what's coming, and that's okay. But right now, I'm happy, and that's all that matters._

**a/n: AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER! THE END!**

**k, that ending was mediocre at best but i'm tired and this update was late anyways. i want to thank and congratulate you for reading all the way to the epic finale of this fic! i appreciate all the love and support so much. thanks for sticking with me and supporting this fic! i love you, stay safe, and happy pride!**

**~ JADE (:**


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